aaural  Mt  turtle? 

(Greene  m^  Clermont 
Cotttittes 


DIRECTED  BY 

The  Department  of  Church  and  Country  Life 

BOARD  OF  HOME  MISSIONS  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 
IN  THE  U.  S.  A. 

Warren  H.  Wilson,  DiTcdor 
Ralph  A.  Fellon,  FieU  Dtredor 

156  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City 


■;::•'.  "\^. 


'•->". i'gi''-''--^?'A'^yiv?'t 


m 


BR  555  .03  P73  1914 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the 

U.S.A.  Board  of  Home 
Ohio  rural  life  survey. 


7       ~' 


o"^       CKurc-^n    and     Count-T^        _  i  , -_  , 


RURAL  LIFE  SURVEY 


OF 


GREENE   COUNTY 


OHIO 


MAP  OF  OHIO.     THE  COUNTIES  SURVEYED  ARE  INDICATED  BY  A  STAR 

Shaded  counties  included  in  this  studj' 


INTRODUCTION 

The  series  of  studies  in  the  following  pages  is  the  result  of  a 
surve}'  of  various  aspects  of  rural  life  made  during  the  summer  of 
19 1 3  under  the  auspices  of  the  Ohio  Rural  Life  Survey.  The 
field  work  in  Greene  County  was  done  and  assistance  rendered  in 
the  preparation  of  the  report  by  Mr.  Fred  L.  Black,  of  Miami 
University.  Financial  assistance  was  rendered  by  the  National 
Board  of  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association  and  by  rep- 
resentative farmers  of  Greene  County.  Special  mention  should 
be  made  of  the  valuable  assistance  and  suggestions  made  by  Mr. 
William  Cook,  County  Agricultural  Agent,  by  Mr.  Harvey 
Elam,  and  by  the  Secretaries  of  the  Christian  Associations.  In  the 
study  entitled  "Rural  Life  in  Greene  County,"  as  well  as  in  the 
discussion  of  conditions  in  Clermont  County,  only  economic, 
ethical,  recreational,  social,  educational,  and  religious  conditions 
are  discussed.  Phases  of  the  problem  related  to  village  life  and 
to  moral  conditions  are  included  in  special  studies,  and  will  be 
published  separately. 

Special  mention  should  be  made  of  assistance  rendered  in 
Clermont  County  by  Mr.  W.  E.  Steiner  and  Misses  Helen  Brad- 
ley and  Marjorie  Hulick,  who  assisted  in  field  work.  Mr.  Steiner 
also  assisted  in  the  preparation  of  the  report  on  conditions  in 
Clermont  County.  Special  mention  is  due  also  to  Reverend  B. 
B.  Lavender,  Batavia,  O.,  to  Reverend  Harris,  Milford,  O.,  to 
the  Social  Service  Commission  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  to 
the  Board  of  Home  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  for 
financial  assistance. 

Paui.  L.  Vogt. 

Miami  University,  March,  /,  /p//. 


[3] 


CONTENTS 

Introduction 3 

Greene  County "  '    ' 5 

Physical  Environment 5 

Economic  Conditions 6 

Farm  Ownership 7 

Crops        7 

Live  Stock 8 

Population 8 

Recreational  and  Social  Conditions . 9 

Educational   Conditions 13 

Material  Equipment 14 

Librar}'  Facilities i4 

Teachers 16 

Township  High  Schools 20 

Township  Supervision 24 

Summary  of  Educational  Conditions 28 

Religious  Life 30 

Growth 33 

Attendance 34 

Finances 36 

Pastors 37 

Sunday  Schools 38 

Summary  of  Religious  Life    40 

Summary  of  Survey  of  Greene  County 41 

Clermont  County 43 

Physical  Environment 45 

Economic  Conditions 46 

Farms      48 

Roads  and  Markets   48 

Products 49 

Agricultural  Advantages 50 

Population    51 

Recreational  and  Social  Conditions 52 

Religious  Life 60 

Church  Growth 63 

Attendance 67 

Finances 69 

Sunda}'  Schools 70 

Pastors     73 

Summar\'  of  Religious  Life 75 

Educational  Conditions 76 

Equipment ....  77 

Teachers 77 

Libraries 80 

Summary  of  Clermont  County.    81 


A  DESCRIPTION  OF  GREENE  COUNTY 


Greene  County  is  a  member  of  that  very  fertile  group  of 
counties  in  southwestern  Ohio  drained  by  the  two  Miami  Rivers 
and  their  tributaries.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Clark,  on 
the  east  by  Madison  and  Fayette,  on  the  south  by  Clinton  and 
Warren,  and  on  the  west  by  Montgomery  County.  Its  area  is 
415  square  miles. 

The  county  lies  within  the  area  covered  by  the  glacial  drift. 
This  is  a  deposit  of  clay,  sand,  gravel  and  boulders,  which  was 
carried  southward  from  the  region  of  the  lakes  and  deposited  in 
its  present  position  by  glaciers.  The  weathering  of  the  drift  pro- 
duced the  county's  fertile  soils.  These  soils  include:  first,  the 
black  upland  soil,  excellent  for  corn  and  blue  grass,  formed  by 
the  weathering  of  the  drift,  where  it  lay  in  fiat  tracts — a  soil 
found  especially  in  the  eastern  townships;  second,  the  common 
upland  clay  soil;  third,  the  rather  dark-colored  and  very  pro- 
ductive soil  known  as  "sugar  land"  or  the  bottom  lands  of  the 
valley.  The  deposits  of  the  drift  have  been  spread  all  over  the 
county,  reducing  the  roughness  of  the  surface  and  hiding  many 
ancient  channels.  The  lowest  land  is  found  on  the  southern 
boundary  of  the  Little  Miami,  and  ranges  between  700  and  725 
feet  above  the  sea.  The  highest  land  is  found  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  county,  ranging  around  11 00  feet  above  sea  level. 
Greene  County  has  an  excellent  water  supply.  A  greater  propor- 
tion of  the  water  is  derived  from  springs  and  the  streams  flowing 
from  them  than  is  usual  in  this  section  of  the  state. 

The  county  has  an  average  annual  temperature  between  51° 
and  52°  Fahrenheit.     The  average  dates  for  the  last  killing  frosts 
in  the  spring  for  most  of  the  count}^  vary  between  April    30  and 

[5] 


6  MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 

May  5,  and  for  the  first  frosts  in  autumn  between  September  30 
and  October  5.  The  average  number  of  days  in  the  crop  growing 
season  varies  from  150  to  160.  This  climate  renders  the  section 
well  suited  to  diversified  agriculture. 

The  roads  are  generally  well  improv^ed.  In  191 2,  of  754.5 
miles  of  public  road,  594  miles  or  78.7  per  cent,  were  gravel.  But 
86  miles  of  mud  road  remained.  This  count}^  as  is  the  case 
with  many  other  counties  in  southwestern  Ohio,  has  roads  lead- 
ing diagonally  to  the  principal  shipping  points;  and  thus  time  is 
economized  and  traffic  facilities  are  increased.  The  county  has 
good  railway  and  electric  transportation  facilities  to  Dayton, 
Springfield,  and  Columbus;  and  thus  the  larger  consuming 
centers  in  this  part  of  the  State  are  brought  within  easy  reach. 
The  farmers  in  the  county  are  investing  rapidly  in  automobiles 
as  a  necessary  equipment  of  the  farm  plant. 

ECONOMIC  CONDITIONS 

Greene  Count}^  is  and  always  has  been  primarily  an  agricul- 
tural county.  97.4  per  cent,  of  the  land  area  is  in  farms.  The 
soil  is  especially  adapted  to  the  raising  of  corn,  wheat,  potatoes, 
and  forage  crops.  Sand,  building  stone,  and  limestone  are  the 
only  mineral  resources  of  the  county.  These  are  of  little  com- 
mercial importance.  The  following  tables  show  the  comparative 
number,   area  and  value  of  farms  in  1900  and  19 10. 

TABLE  I 


No.  and  area  of  Farms. 

1900 

1910 

Per  Cent.  De- 
crease or  Increase 

No.  of  all  farms 

2,637 

265,600 
256,172 

214,388 

2,575 

265,600 
258,698 

220,693 

2.3  decrease 

0.0 

0.9  increase 

2.9  increase 

Approximate  land  area, 
acres 

Land  in  farms,  acres   

Improved  land  in  farms, 
acres 

85.3  per  cent,  of  the  land  in  farms  in  19 10  was  improved. 


A  RURAI.  LIFE  SURVEY  OF  GREENE  COUNTY 

TABLE    II 


Value  of 

Per  Cent. 

Per  Cent. 

Farm 

1900 

1910 

Increase 

Total 

Property 

Value 

Land 

$10,929,480 

$17,213,360 

57-5 

70.0 

Buildings  . 

2,753,040 

4,276,207 

54.8 

17.4 

Imple- 

ments and 

machinery 

395,310 

518,864 

31.3 

2.1 

Domestic 

animals, 

poultry 

and  bees. 

1,627,545 

2,595,419 

59-4 

10.5 

Total . .  . 

$15,715,375 

$24,603,850 

56.6 

1 00.0 

Over  86  per  cent,  of  the  farms  are  under  175  acres  in  size 
and  60  per  cent,  are  between  50  and  175  acres.  The  average 
acreage  per  farm  is  100.5.  ^^^  average  value  per  acre  of  farm 
land  in  1900  was  $42.66;  in  1910,  $66.54,  an  increase  of  $23.88 
per  acre  or  56  per  cent.  59.5  per  cent,  of  the  total  number  of 
farms  were  operated  by  owners  in  19 10.  The  following  table 
shows  the  number  of  farms  and  the  acreage  classified  according 
to  the  manner  of  operation. 

TABLE  III 


Operation  of  Farms,    1910 

Number 

Acres 

Av.  No.  acres 
Per  Farm 

Owners 

Renters .  • 

1,531 
1,004 

40 

137.966 

113,416 

7,316 

90.1 
112. 9 

TVTanao'prs                  

182.9 

Total 

2,575 

258,698 

100.5 

Rented  farms  and  those  operated  by  managers  are  larger 
than  those  operated  by  owners. 

The  following  table  shows  the  principal  crops  of  the  county 
listed  in  the  order  of  the  acreage.  The  yield  per  acre  is  compared 


MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 


with  that  of  the  state.     In  three  instances, — corn,  hay  and  forage 
crops,  and  barle}' — the  county  average  is  above  that  of  the  state. 

TABLE  IV 


Principal  Crop 

Corn     

Wheat 

Hay  and  forage. .  . 
Oats 


Acres 


County  yield 
per  acre 


State    yield 
per    acre 


75,268 
30,213 
24,701 

12,138 


47.8  bu. 
II  .7  bu. 

1 4T. 

28.2  bu. 


40 . 2  bu. 

16.7  bu. 

1.3  T. 

32.2  bu. 


Practicall}^  all  grain  is  sold  at  the  local  elevators;  cattle 
and  hogs  are  sold  to  local  bu3'ers  and  the  stock  yards  in  Dayton; 
milk,  poultry,  eggs,  and  butter  are  sold  to  Xenia.  Dayton  and 
Springfield  dealers.  The  Springfield,  Dayton  and  Columbus 
markets  are  all  easily  reached  from  any  place  in  the  count3^ 

PEDIGREED  LIVE  STOCK 

Greene  County  has  not  only  a  national  but  an  international 
reputation  for  pure-blooded  registered  live  stock.  Prizes  have 
been  won  repeatedly  at  state  fairs  and  at  the  international  live 
stock  shows  held  annually  at  Chicago.  The  county  boasts  of 
several  stables  of  fine  horses;  of  herds  of  Shorthorn,  Aberdeen- 
Angus,  Hereford,  Red  Poll,  Polled  Durham,  Jersey,  Polled  Jersey, 
and  Guernsey  cattle;  of  flocks  of  Merino,  Oxford  Down,  South- 
down, Shropshire  Down,  Cotswold,  Hampshire  Down,  Lincoln 
and  Cheviot  sheep;  of  showy  herds  of  Poland-China,  Chester- 
White,  Duroc-Jersey  and  Berkshire  swine;  and  many  fancy 
flocks  of  poultry  of  various  kinds. 

POPULATION 
Of  the  total  population  of  Greene  County,  numbering 
29,733,  25.760  are  white  and  3,973  or  13.4  per  cent,  are  colored. 
Both  white  and  colored  population  decreased  during  the  past 
decade.  The  white  population  decreased  more  rapidly  than  the 
colored;  and  thus  the  per  cent,  of  colored  increased  from  12.8  to 
13.4.  Greene  County  has  the  largest  percentage  of  colored  popu- 
lation of  all  the  counties  in  the  state.     This  may  be  due  in  part 


A  RURAL  LIFE  SURVEY  OF  GREENE  COUNTY  9 

to  the  location  of  Wilberforce  University  within  its  Hmits.  The 
total  number  of  colored  people,  including  three  Orientals  in  the 
county,  was  3973  in  19 10.  Of  this  number,  2053  or  51.7  per 
cent,  lived  in  the  city  of  Xenia.  There  were  107  colored  farmers, 
—number  in  families  not  stated,— and  the  remainder  were  located 
in  villages. 

Aside  from  the  negro  situation,  the  tendency  is  toward  greater 
homogeneity  in  the  population.  But  2.8  per  cent,  of  the  total 
population  were  foreign  born  white  in  1900,  and  this  proportion 
was  reduced  to  2  per  cent,  in  19 10.  61  out  of  a  total  of  2575 
farmers  were  foreign  born.  This  tendency  toward  homogeneity 
in  population  will  become  the  basis  for  a  stable  rural  culture 
when  the  county  is  once  organized  along  lines  adapted  to  present 

needs. 

RECREATION 

Greene  County  is  above  the  average  in  the  amount  and 
quality  of  recreational  life  in  the  rural  districts.  This  may  be 
in  part  due  to  the  educational  and  religious  standards  of  the  com- 
munity. Both  these  influences  are  working  toward  further 
advancement  in  bringing  about  harmony  in  the  community,  as 
well  as  cooperation  and  friendly  social  relationship. 

The  general  meeting  places  for  informal  conversation  for 
both  men  and  boys  are  the  streets  and  stores  of  the  towns. 
The  young  people  do  most  of  their  courting  in  buggies  and  at 
their  homes. 

The  Grange— In  addition  to  the  county  agricultural  society 
which  provides  a  county  agricultural  adviser,  Greene  County 
has  four  granges,  which  have  a  total  membership  af  3S4  and 
hold  two  meetings  a  month  each.  At  each  meeting  the 
average  attendance  is  26.  One  grange  conducts  a  five-number 
lecture  course  each  year.  Two  of  the  four  active  organizations, 
both  located  in  the  same  township, during  the  past  year  gave 
together  ten  socials  and  four  open  meetings.  The  other  two 
had  literary  programs  each  meeting  and  also  gave  a  number 
of  socials.  Each  summer  a  county  grange  picnic  is  given,  for 
wdiich  several  authoritative  speakers  on  farm  topics  are  secured. 
These  picnics  are   open  to  the  general  public  and  last  all  day. 


lo  MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 

The}^  are  very  well  attended  by  people  from  both  the  towns 
and  the  country.  After  the  speeches,  a  baseball  game  is  pla3'ed 
between  a  picked  team  from  the  granges  and  some  other  amateur 
team  from  the  county. 

Reimions — The  family  and  community  reunions  have  been  impor- 
tant factors  in  the  rural  life  of  Greene  County.  One  number  of 
the  Xenia  Gazette  contained  news  of  sixteen  famih^  reunions. 
Kil  Kare  Park,  three  miles  west  of  Xenia,  in  August,  19 13, 
was  the  sciene  of  eighteen  reunions  and  picnics.  One  of  the 
townships  in  the  fall  of  each  year  holds  a  home-coming  with  an 
average  attendance  of  from  400  to  500. 

Frateryial  ayid  Other  Organizations — There  are  46  fraternal  and 
other  organizations.  These  have  a  total  membership  of  2450 
and  an  average  membership  of  54.  The  total  number  of 
meetings  a  month  is  133  with  a  total  attendance  of  816,  or  an 
average  attendance  of  18.  These  organizations  have  manj^and 
varied  social  activities  consisting  of  socials,  banquets,  festivals, 
literary  and  musical  meetings,  hikes,  camps,  picnics  and 
anniversaries. 

Dajices — Dances  are  the  exception.  Few  are  given  in  public  halls, 
and  practically  none  in  the  homes.  A  number  are  held  in  the 
two  parks,  Kil  Kare  and  Neff ,  but  these  are  usually  made  up 
of  parties  from  Springfield  and  Dayton.  The  members  of  the 
churches  and  with  but  one  exception  the  pastors  in  the  county 
oppose  dancing  because  it  is  against  church  traditions  and  is 
believed  to  be  immoral. 

The  County  /^<2z>— The  county  fair  given  in  August  of  each  year 
is  to  many  of  the  country  people  a  week  of  recreation.  The 
races,  the  display  building,  and  the  shows  are  well  attended. 
The  total  attendance  in  1913  was  over  16,000. 

Chautanquas — Two  eight-day  Chautauquas  are  held  each  year. 
The  Antioch  Chautauqua  is  held  in  NefF  Park  at  Yellow  Srings, 
and  the  Jamestown  Chautauqua  at  Jamestown.  Both,  although 
they  do  not  make  money  for  their  promoters,  are  able  to 
pay  expenses  each  3^ear.  The  following  from  the  folder  of  the 
Antioch  Chautauqua  gives  an  excellent  idea  of  the  recreational 
value  of  Neff  Park. 


A  RURAIv  LIFE  SURVEY  OF  GREENE  COUNTY  ii 

"The  Chautauqua  grounds  are  ideal  for  tenting  purposes; 
there  is  no  more  beautiful  spot  in  Ohio  for  such  recreation. 
The  famous  yellow  spring  that  flows  over  one  hundred  gallons 
per  minute  furnishes  an  exhaustless  supply  for  drinking  pur- 
poses. The  beautiful  lake  supplies  boating  and  bathing  privi- 
leges. The  devil  cascades,  and  two  flowing  streams  that  thread 
their  way  amidst  fantastic  rocks  through  picturesque  glens, 
join  the  Little  Miami  below,  and  the  massive  oaks  and  walnuts 
which  cover  the  hundred  acres  of  parks  carpeted  with  a  fine 
growth  of  grass  and  wild  flowers  all  unite  to  make  these 
grounds  one  of  the  finest  camping  sites  in  Ohio." 

Pool  Rooms — There  are  twelve  pool  rooms  outside  of  Xenia.  The 
great  percentage  of  their  patronage  comes  from  the  young  men 
eighteen  to  thirt}'  j^ears  old.  The  average  closing  hour  is 
eleven  p.  m. 

Shows — There  are  five  moving  picture  shows.  Four  of  these  are 
open  three  times  a  week,  a  fifth  but  once,  vSaturday  night. 
These  have  an  average  attendance  of  from  200  to  400  a  week. 
Theatrical  performances  and  travelling  circuses  are  rare. 
None  are  found  outside  of  Xenia.  The  people  from  the  north- 
ern and  western  part  of  the  county  go  either  to  Dayton  or 
Springfield  for  the  opera,  the  theatre  and  the  circus. 

Ball  Teams — There  are  eight  organized  ball  teams.  In  but  two 
places  is  Sunday  baseball  played,  aud  this  is  strongly  opposed 
by  "the  church  people  of  both  communities. 

TABLE   V 
Recreation  in  Connection  with  Church  Organizations 


Organization 

No. 

Reporting 

Picnics 

Christmas 
Festivals 

Socials 

and 
Others 

Sunday  School     

Young  People's  Societies 

Ladies'   Aid 

Woman's  Missionary.  .  . 
Others 

59 
30 
31 
20 
2 

38 

39 

40 
100 
109 

57 
16 

Total 

142 

38 

29 

322 

12  MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 

The  social  meetings  for  the  Sunday  School  named  in  order 
of  popularity  were  Children's  Day,  Mother's  Day,  Easter  Socials, 
Rally  Day,  Thanksgiving  Socials,  and  class  socials.  No  organi- 
zations except  Sunday  Schools  gave  socials,  festivals  or  picnics. 

RECREATION  IN  THE  vSUB-DLSTRICT  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

43  schools  reported  in  answer  to  the  question  as  to  the  kind 
of  games  played  bj^  children  during  recesses.  All  gave  running 
games  such  as  blackman.  drop-the-handkerchief,  baseball,  basket 
ball,  etc.  86  schools  reported  207  literary  and  musical  entertain- 
ments for  the  year  191 2- 13.  These  were  open  to  the  pubic  and 
were  given  on  Friday  afternoons.  Some  of  the  townships  have 
a  mass  day  exercise  at  the  close  of  the  school  3'ear.  This  is  under 
the  direction  of  the  superintendent.  Parents  and  others  present, 
or  former  residents  of  the  township,  bring  well-filled  baskets  and 


A  Valuable  Socializing  Agency 
Mass  day,   Beaver  Creek  Township  High  School 


A  RURAL  LIFE  SURVEY  OF  GREENE  COUNTY  13 

remain  all  day.  The  average  attendance  ranges  from  600  to  800. 
Eight  of  the  townships  had  mass  da}-  exercises  at  the  close  of  the 
year  19 12- 13.  These  community  gatherings  around  the  school 
as  a  center  become  powerful  agencies  for  unifying  the  interests 
of  people  and  have  large  possibilities  for  the  formation  of  public 
opinion. 

The  above  outline  of  social  life  indicates  that  the  church 
and  the  school  are  the  great  recreational  and  social  centers  of  com- 
munity life.  Greene  County  should  look  forward  to  the  develop- 
ment of  adequate  recreational  centers  at  the  high  schools.  The 
beginning  of  the  work  of  relating  the  schools  to  the  recreational 
life  of  adults  as  well  as  children  has  already  been  made  by  the  mass 
day  exercises,  and  the  lecture  courses.  The  grange  has  a  very  es- 
sential part  to  perform  in  the  work  of  neighborhood  renewal. 
More  healthful  outdoor  social  life  is  needed  and  should  not  be 
displaced  by  the  stifling  atmosphere  and  environment  of  the  com- 
mercialized moving  picture  show  and  questionable  resorts  of 
neighboring  cities.  The  school,  the  church,  and  the  farmers' 
organization  must  cooperate  in  developing  the  highest  social  and 
recreational  life  possible  in  the  rural  communit3\ 

EDUCATIONAL  CONDITIONS      • 

I — General  Features.  The  most  accurate  register  of  the  cultural 
characteristics  of  a  people  is  to  be  found  in  their  educational 
condition,  especially  in  the  efficiency  of  the  public  school 
system.  The  public  schools  as  social  institutions  are  indices  of 
either  an  intelligent  and  progressive  people  or  an  ignorant  and 
non-progressive  people.  The  public  schools  in  Greene  County 
are  among  the  best  in  the  state.  An  extended  discussion  of 
the  educational  conditions  in  Greene  County  is  rendered  unneces- 
sary by  recent  state  legislation  dealing  with  rural  schools.  The 
advanced  state  of  education  in  this  county,  however,  justifies 
an  outline  of  its  more  important  features  for  the  sake  of  a  wider 
public  interested  in  knowing  of  methods  of  work  and  results. 
The  township  is  the  unit  of  school  management  in  the  county. 
Eleven  of  the  twelve  townships  have  the  township  supervision 
system. 


14  MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 

In  1905,  an  attempt  was  made  to  unify  the  administration 
of  the  public  schools  of  the  county  by  organizing  the  Greene 
County  School  Boards  Association.  This  included  every  school 
board  in  the  county.  Its  purpose  was  to  foster  the  interests  of 
the  public  schools  of  the  county  by  systematizing  and  harmoniz- 
ing their  work,  by  promoting  a  better  gradation,  by  urging  a 
uniform  selection  of  text  books,  by  raising  the  standard  of  the 
teaching  force  and  by  promoting  needed  school  legislation.  The 
organization  lasted  but  a  year;  yet  it  accomplished  one  very 
definite  result:  it  started  the  different  school  boards  to  investi- 
gating conditions  in  their  own  townships,  and  seven  oat  of 
eleven  townships  having  supervision  have  instituted  the  system 
since  then.  The  association  died  because  some  of  the  main 
promoters  were  not  re-elected  to  office  and  many  of  the  others 
lost  interest.  But  much  of  recent  educational  progress  in  the 
county  may  be  traced  to  this  attempt  at  county  organization 
of  the  school  system. 

2 — Material Fqiiipment.  There  are  103  country  school  houses  in 
the  count}^  95  of  these  being  one-room-one- teacher  schools  with 
six  or  eight  grades.  The  other  eight  elementary  schools  have 
two  or  more  rooms  with  from  two  to  three  teachers.  There 
are  no  regular  consolidated  schools  in  the  county.  In  two  in- 
stances, the  pupils  are  transported  from  one  sub-district  to 
another. 

All  the  school  buildings  are  in  a  fair  state  of  repair.  The 
majority  of  them  are  brick,  ranging  in  size  from  26  x  40  to 
36  X  40.  But  5  per  cent,  of  the  school  grounds  are  less  than 
one-half  acre  in  size.  The  State  School  Survey  reports  32 
per  cent,  or  over  in  this  category  in  the  state  at  large.  79. 7 
per  cent,  range  between  one-half  and  one  acre.  The  proportion 
for  the  state  is  less  than  46  5  per  cent.  The  remaining  15.3 
per   cent,  are  one  acre  or  over. 

There  are  but  two  separate  sub-districts  in  the  county 
maintained  for  colored  children. 

J — Libraiy  Facilities.  Greene  County  has  an  unusual  foundation 
for  the  development  of  an  adequate  library  system  for  the 
county.    In  June,  1913,  the  Xenia  City  Library  with  its  14,000 


A  RURAL  IvIFE  SURVEY  OF  GREENE  COUNTY  15 

volumes  was  turned  over  to  the  county,  and  is  now  available  to 
the  county  teachers  and  pupils.  The  appropriation  for  the  first 
year  was  limited  to  $2,300,  but  the  library  has  with  the  facili- 
ties available  given  to  every  teacher  in  Greene  County  the 
opportunity  to  draw  ten  books,  either  bearing  on  his  work 
or  general  reading.  Fifteen  or  twenty  teachers  have  so  far 
availed  themselves  of  this  opportunity.  The  library  is  available 
for  the  use  of  every  citizen  of  Greene  Count}.  Talks  have 
been  given  at  the  teachers'  associations  and  at  the  farmers' 
institutes  explaining  the  work  of  the  library.  Special  lists  of 
books  dealing  with  rural  life  have  been  published  and  distri- 
buted. 

Fifty-eight  of  the  rural  schools  investigated  reported  as  to  the 
number  and  value  of  books  in  their  libraries.  Eight  had  no 
libraries  whatever,  and  five  of  the  eight  did  not  cooperate 
with  any  other  library.  Thirty-one  libraries  had  from  10  to 
40  volumes  with  values  ranging  from  $5  to  $35;  fifteen  had 
libraries  of  from  50  to  100  volumes,  valued  at  $15  to  $75;  four 
had  over  100  volumes.  Nineteen  of  the  fifty  report  Hbraries 
having  no  cooperation  with  others.  The  high  school  libraries 
are  de.scribed  elsewhere. 

^—Attendance.  Greene  County,  by  the  19 10  census,  ranked  sec- 
ond in  the  state  in  the  percentage  of  school  enrollment  on  the 
school  enumeration.  This  enrollment  was  75.4  per  cent.  The 
percentagefor  the  entire  state  was  but  66.1.  93.2  per  cent,  of 
the  children  in  the  county  six  to  fourteen  years  old  were  at- 
tending school. 

Four  of  the  township  supervisors  are  attempting  to  better 
the  average  daily  attendance  by  sending  monthly  reports  to  the 
parents.  These  reports  show  the  enrollment,  average  daily  at- 
tendance, etc. ,  for  all  the  schools  in  the  township.  Each  school 
is  given  a  ranking,  and  every  effort  is  made  to  better  the  attend- 
ance and  work  of  the  pupils  by  keeping  in  touch  with  the  par- 
ents. 

Following  is  a  sample  report,  one  of  which  was  sent  to 
each  parent  having  children  in  school  in  the  township. 


i6  MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 

Report  of  the  Spring  Valley  Tp.  Schools  for  the  month  ending  Nov.  22, 

Districts  123456789     Total 

Enrollment  13   i7   21   17  U      21   20    7   3i   I74 

Av.  da.  att 12   16   16   16   11   19   19    6   30   158 

0/0    Av.  da.   att.  on 

enrollment 93       94       76       94       82       93       95       86       97         97 

No.  daN  s  taught 20       20       20       20       20       20       20       20       20         20 

No.  school    hrs.  lost..       300000000  3 

No.  visitors o         i         9         2         o         3         6         o         4         25 

No.  cases  of  tardiness     10        4         2         3         2         i         i         o       17         42 
No  pupils  present 

everyday   6       11       12       10        6       15       12         4       21       109 

No.  cases  of  corp. 

punishment 001040000  5 

No.  cases  of  cont. 

diseases o        o        4        o        o         o         o         o         o  4 

No.  of  truants o         o         o         o         o         o         o         o         o  o 

Rank  in  ^y    att 4         3         7         6         4         2         5         i          i         — 

Whose  per  cent,  of  attendance  is  above  the  average,  91?     Who  has  the 
fewest  number  tardy?     Who  has  the  greatest  number  present  every  day? 
The  contagious  disease  in  No,  2  is  chicken  pox. 
One  hundred  and  nine  pupils  didn't  miss  a  day— this  is  fine. 
Our  Schools  will  close  for  the  Holidays  Tuesday  evening,  December  24, 
and  re-open  Thursday  morning,  January  2,  1913. 

We  wish  all  a  "Merry  Christmas  and  a  Happy  New  Year." 
Again  let  us  be  reminded  that  we  should  cover  one-third  of  work  of  the 
second  term  by  the  holidays— Arithmetic  and  English  need  careful  guarding. 
How  manv  schools  dismiss  before  3.30  Standard?     Dec.  10,  191 2. 

Supt. 

-—  The  Sub-district  School  Teachers.  Data  as  to  education,  exper- 
ience and  permanency  were  obtained  from  98  of  the  1 1 3  rural 
school  teachers   in  the   county.     Of   these    74    were    females, 

and  24  males. 

TABLE  VI 

EducationaIv  Preparation  of  Rurai,  Teachers 


Training 

Number 

Per  Cent. 

High  School  and  College 

High  School  and  Normal 

High   School    

II 
15 
39 
12 
12 

12  3 
16  g 

43 -S 

Grade  School  and  Normal 
Grade  School    

13-5 
13  5 

Total  reporting 

89 

100. 0 

A  RURAL  LIFE  SURVEY  OF  GREENE  COUNTY 


n 


The  total  number  reporting  high  scliool  training  and  better 
was  65  or  73  per  cent.  The  total  reporting  normal  training  was 
27  or  30.5  per  cent. 

The  teaching  experience  of  the  rural  teachers  is  shown  by 
the  following  table. 

TABLE  VII 
Teaching   Experience 


Number  3^ears 

No.  Teachers 

Per  Cent. 

One  year  or  less 

Two  years  or  less 

Three  years  or  less 

Four  years  or  less 

Five  vears  or  less. 

26 
10 
1 1 

7 
10 

7 
18 

29-31 
1 1  .  2  1 
12.4  [>  70  9;  State  60,0 

7.8 1 
1J.2J 

^7  ^JJ2S,i;State40  0 

Six  years  or  less 

Seven  3'ears  and  over.... 

Total 

89 

100.  0 

Forty-seven  or  over  one-half  of  the  teachers  reporting  have 
not  had  more  than  three  years'  experience.  As  compared  with 
the  state  school  survey  report  the  length  of  experience  of  teachers 
in  Greene  Countv  is  less  than  that  for  the  state. 


TABLE  VIII 
Grade  of  Certificates  Held  Bv  Teachers. 


Grade  of  Certificate 

Number 
Teachers 

Per  Cent. 
County 

Per  Cent. 
State 

One  year 

Two  vears 

45 
28 
10 

9 

-    2 

0 

47-9 

29.8 

10.6 

9.6 

2. 1 

0.0 

58.4 

26.3 

7-4 

4  4 

2  .0 

1-5 

Three  years 

Five  years 

Eight  vears   . 

Life...' 

Total 

94 

100 . 0 

100. 0 

As  is  shown  by  the  above  table,  47.9  per  cent,  or  nearly  one- 
half  of  the  teachers  have  but  one  3'ear   certificates.     The  grade 


R  S  [2] 


i8 


MIAMI  UNIVERvSITY 


of  certificates  compares  favorably  with  the  state  as  shown  by  the 
Rural  School  Survey. 

The  tendency  for  teachers  to  remain  but  a  short  time  in  one 
position  is  shown  by  the  following  table,  which  gives  the  number 
of  years  taught  in  previous  and  present  positions. 

TABLE  IX 
Permanency  of  Position 


No.    years 


One  or  less . . . 

Two   

Three 

Four     

Five 

Six   

More  than  six 


In  Present 

In  Pre 

District 

Dist 

No. 

Pet. 

No. 

!    46 

50.5 

II 

^7 

18.7 

12 

13 

14  3 

13 

4 

4  4 

2       1 

6 

6  6 

3       ! 

I 

I .  I 

^       i 

4 

4  4 

5       1 

Pet, 


23 
26 

28 

4 

6 

o 

10 


The  percentage  of  years  in  the  present  district,  according  to 
the  State  School  Survey,  is  70.6  percent,  one  year  or  less;  9.8  per 
cent,  two  years;  5. 6  per  cent,  three  to  six  years;  13.6  percent,  more 
than  six.  Forty-six,  more  than  one-half,  were  teaching  for  the 
first  time.  Fift}^  per  cent,  had  been  two  years  or  less  in  the  pre- 
vious district.  The  more  rapid  change  of  teachers  in  this  county 
should  be  noted. 

The  teachers  are  selected  b\-  the  township  school  boards.  In 
seven  of  the  townships  having  supervision,  the  judgment  and  ad- 
vice of  the  superintendent  are  asked  and  usually  followed. 

TEACHERS'  MEETlNGvS 

Teachers'  meetings  are  held  in  each  township  having  super- 
vi.sion  at  least  once  a  month,  usually  in  one  of  the  schoolhouses. 
The  program  consists  of  a  general  discussion  and  inspection  of  the 
past  work  of  the  pupils. 

One  superintendent  conducts  some  of  the  teachers'  meetings 
on  the  normal  plan.     If  a  teacher  has  shown  marked  abilit}'  in 


A  RURAI.  LIFE  SURVEY  OF  GREENE  COUNTY 


19 


teaching  some  subject,  the  other  teachers  of  the  township  are 
brought  in  to  observe  her  methods. 

More  than  half  the  teachers  in  this  county  Uve  within  two 
miles  of  the  school  where  they  teach. 

Fifty-seven  teachers  reported  as  to  the  number  of  recitation 
periods  a  day.     The  results  are  as  follows: 

TABLE  X 


No,   Recitations  Per  Day 


No.  Teachers 
Reporting 


Under  20. 
20  to  24   .  . 
25  to  29  .    . 
30  to  34   . 
35  and  over 


Total 


6 
7 

19 

16 

6 


57 


Per  Cent. 
County 


144 
12.3 
.33-3 
28.1 

15-9 


1 00.0 


Per  Cent. 
State 


24.2 
23.2 

21.5 
19.2 
II. 8 


100.  o 


The  average  length  of  a  recitation  was  twelve  minutes. 
Comparison  with  the  State  percentage  is  again  unfavorable.  An 
attempt  is  being  made  by  some  of  the  supervisors  to  lessen  the 
number  of  recitations  by  having  the  teachers  combine  two  or  three 
classes  in  the  study  of  a  special  subject  like  agriculture. 

WAGE  SCHEDULES 

In  some  of  the  townships  of  the  county,  teachers  are  paid  a 
flat  rate,  but  in  one  or  two  instances  wages  are  paid  according  to 
experience.  The  following  is  the  schedule  of  wages  now  being 
paid  in  one  of  the  townships: 

One  year  certificate,  with  or  without  experience,  $45. 

Two  year  certificate,  wath  one  or  more  3-ears'  experience,  $50. 

Three  year  certificate,  with  three  or  more  years'  experience, 
$55. 

Three  3  ear  certificate,  with  four  or  more  year's  in  the  town- 
ship, $60. 

One  township  school  board  passed  a  regulation  last  year  to 
increase  the  salaries  $2.50  a  month  of  those  teachers  who  attend 
summer  normal  colleges. 


20  MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 

The  average  tnonthl}'  wages  of  a  rural  teacher  range  from 
^45  to  $50,  in  the  different  townships,  and  the  number  of  weeks 
taught  range  from  32  to  36. 

HIGH    vSCHOOLS 

Five  of  the  twelve  townships  have  high  schools.  Two  of 
these  are  located  in  the  open  countr}^  the    other  three    in  small 


Beaver  Creek  Township  High  School. 

villages.  There  are  five  other  village  high  schools  in  the  county 
and  one  city  high  school,  making  a  total  of  eleven  in  the  county. 
Of  these  schools  eight  are  first-class,  and  two  are  second-class. 
One  of  the  sub-district  schools  offers  two  3^ears  of  high  school  work 
which  are  accepted  by  the  other  high  schools  of  the  count}'. 

Sixty-two  out  of  sixty-six  of  the  sub-district  shools  reported 
having  sent  337  pupils  to  the  high  schools  during  the  past  five 
years.     Four  of  the  sixty-six  reported  having  sent  none. 


A  RURAL  LIFE  SURVEY  OF  GREENE  COUNTY  21 

During  the  year  1912-13,  the  five  township  high  schools  had 
an  enrollment  of  198.     Of  these,  102  were  boys  and  96  girls. 

The  open  country  high  schools  require  special  mention. 
The  Beaver  Creek  Township  High  School,  which  offers  a  four- 
year  course  and  is  ranked  as  a  first-class  high-school,  is  a  three- 
room  brick  structure.  It  has  good  accommodations — a  commo- 
dious hallway  and  a  hot  air  furnace  heating  system.  $1 1 ,000  has 
been  appropriated  for  the  purpose  of  building  an  extension  that 
will  be  us'^d  for  laboratories  and  an  auditorium  that  will  seat  seven 
hundred.  The  school  has  been  using  the  K.  of  P.  Hall  across  the 
road  for  an  auditorium.  The  3'ard,  covered  with  120  large  trees 
and  a  heavy  growth  of  grass,  and  sloping  gradually  toward  the 
road,  is  truly  an  ideal  spot  for  the  school.  At  the  back  of  the  plot 
is  the  school  barn,  an  L-shaped  building,  large  enough  to  accom- 
modate thirty  rigs  and  horses.  The  stalls  are  assigned  for  the 
year  on  the  opening  day  of  school.  It  is  never  necessary  to  un- 
hitch outside — a  convenience  which  eliminates  w^et  feet  and  clothes. 
A  farmer  living  near  by  furnishes  good  straw  bedding  and  keeps 
the  barn  in  good  condition  for  the  manure. 

Since  its  establishment  in  1888,  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
eight  pupils  have  graduated  from  this  school.  Ninety  were  boys; 
eighty-eight  w^ere  girls.  The  following  table  gives  some  idea  of 
the  benefit  to  the  community  of  this  country  high  school. 

TABLE  XI 


Year 

Number 
Graduating 

Number  Class 
Entering  College 

Per  cent. 

1904 

1905 

1906 

1907 

1908 

1909 

1910 

IQI I     .              .       

13 
6 

4 
7 

II 
6 
5 

14 
5 

9 
6 
2 

7 
6 

4 

2 

9 

5 

70 
100 

50 
100 

54 
67 
40 

64 

I9I2 

100 

Thirteen  of  the  fifty  who  entered  college  have  been  graduated 


22  MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 

In  1905,  1907  and  1912,  the  entire  graduating  classes  continued 
their  school  work. 

The  pupils  have  their  athletic  association,  to  which  all  be- 
long. Tlie}^  have  regular  baseball,  basketball,  and  football  teams 
that  play  teams  representing  the  other  high  schools  of  the  count3^ 

The  walls  of  this  school  are  adorned  wath  copies  of  the  world's 
famous  pictures,  very  artistically  framed  and  placed  where  they 
will  receive  the  best  light. 

The  high  school  library  contains  1256  volumes,  not  includ- 
ing the  many  classics  and  government  reports.  The  selection  is 
composed  largelj-  of  literar}"  and  reference  works.  In  it  are,  the 
New  Enc3xlopaedia  Britannica  and  Chamber's  Encyclopaedia; 
the  Webster's  New  International  and  Standard  Dictionaries; 
Stoddard's  and  Burton  Holmes'  Travel  Lectures,  Warner's  Library 
of  the  World's  Best  Literature,  and  many  other  standard  w^orks 
well  worth  mentioning.  The  high  school  also  makes  use  of  the 
State  Circulating  Library.  At  one  time  during  the  spring  of  191 3, 
seven  hundred  volumes  were  received  from  this  source.  In  Bot- 
any and  Physiology,  microscopes  are  furnished,  one  for  the  use 
of  two  pupils. 

During  the  holiday  week  of  191 3  five  instructors  from  Ohio 
State  Universit}^  conducted  an  extension  school  in  the  high  school 
building.  Domestic  Science  and  Agriculture  were  the  subjects 
taught. 

Caesar  Creek  Towmship  maintains  a  second  grade  high 
school.  In  the  school  3^ear  191 2- 13,  twenty-nine  pupils  w^ere  en- 
rolled. Three  boys  and  two  girls  graduated  in  that  year.  The 
building  was  erected  in  1909  at  a  cost  of  $6,000.  The  school  barn 
conveniently  accommodates  sixteen  horses  and  rigs. 

An  annual  lecture  course  of  five  numbers  is  given  in  the  high 
school  under  the  direction  of  the  superintendent.  The  tw^o 
rooms  can  be  converted  into  one  for  these  occasions,  and  wall  seat 
200.  During  the  four  years  these  courses  have  been  running, 
full  houses  have  been  the  rule  and  they  have  always  paid  finan- 
cially. 

Monthly  literary  and  musical  programs  are  given  by  the 
pupils  to  which  the  public  is  invited.  The  average  attendance  at 
these  entertainments  ranges  from   100  to  150. 


A  RURAL  LIFE  SURVEY  OF  GREENE  COUNTY 
AGRICULTURE 


23 


In  the  sub-district  schools  of  two  townships  the  regular  course 
in  agriculture  is  supplemented  by  questionnaires  sent  to  each 
pupil  by  the  supervisor.  In  these  townships  the  pupils  have  also 
taken  up  the  ''Home  Garden"  work.  Last  year  there  were 
forty  gardens.  From  four  to  six  children  in  each  school  receive 
flower  and  vegetable  seeds  early  in  the  spring.     These  seeds  are 


Caesar  Creek  Township  High  SchooL 

sent  to  the  supervisor  by  the  United  States  Department  of  Agri- 
culture. The  supervisor  plots  the  garden  and  later  inspects  the 
crops.  The  pupil  who  does  not  keep  his  or  her  garden  in  good 
condition  is  not  supplied  with  seed  when  it  is  distributed  the 
following  year. 

SCHOOL    EXHIBITS 

The  school  exhibit  at  the  county  fair  was  started  in  1905  by 
one  of  the  township  superintendents  showing  some  of  the  draw- 
ings and  clay  work  made  by  the  pupils  of  his  township.  He 
displayed  these  in  a  tent  on  the  fair  grounds.  This  was  the 
beginning  of  the  Educational  Hall,  which  was  built  the  very  next 


24  MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 

3-ear.  In  190S  the  annual  exhibit  had  so  outgrown  its  headquarters 
that  it  was  necessary  to  add  a  much  larger  wing  to  the  original 
building.  Seven  of  the  twelve  townships  took  part  in  this 
exhibit  in   1913. 

At  the  Ohio  State  Fair  in  191 2  Greene  County  won  the  first 
prize  of  $125  in  the  school  exhibitfor  southwestern  Ohio.  Bath, 
Cedarville,  Miami,  New  Jasper,  Ross  and  Spring  Valley  were  the 
townships  that  took  part  in  this  exhibit.  $100  of  the  amount 
was  distributed  among  the  six  townships,  and  $25  was  given  as 
a  special  prize  to  New  Jasper  and  Spring  Valley  townships.  The 
prize  money  was  spent  for  literary  and  supplemental  books  for 
the  schools. 

vSPECIAL  DISTRICT 

There  is  but  one  special  school  district  in  the  county.  This 
is  in  Beaver  Creek  Township,  and  ha.s  been  in  existence  but 
two  years.  This  school  is  not  supervised  by  the  township  super- 
intendent. 

TOWNSHIP  SUPERVISION 

The  educational  buildings  at  the  fair  grounds,  the  school 
exhibits,  uniform  examinations,  better  attendance,  less  truancy, 
teachers'  meetings,  home  gardens,  better  kept  school  buildings, 
and  increased  public  sentiment  in  tavor  of  better  schools  are  some 
of  the  benefits  that  have  resulted  from  township  supervision.  It 
made  it  posssble  in  191 2  for  Greene  County  to  win  the  south- 
western Ohio  School  exhibit  prize  of  $125  at  the  Ohio  State  Fair. 

Township  supervision  is  not  a  new  thing  in  this  county. 
Beaver  Creek  Township  was  the  first  in  the  state  to  try  it.  At 
present  eleven  of  the  twelve  townships  have  the  supervision 
system.  96  of  the  104  sub-district  schools  in  the  county  are 
supervised.  This  system  is  bringing  about  unity  and  gradual 
raising  of  standards  in  the  work  of  the  sub-district  schools.  In 
no  case  is  the  superintendent  attempting  to  take  away  the  individ- 
uality of  the  teachers.  The  definite  direction  which  supervision 
gives  to  the  work  furnishes  a  background  upon  which  the  teacher 
can  base  orginality  and  meet  the  particular  requirements  of  the 
pupils. 


A  RURAL  LIFE  SURVEY  OF  GREENE  COUNTY  25 

In  one  township  the  superintendent  quite  frequently  take  as 
teacher's  place  for  an  afternoon  and  sends  the  teacher  to  some 
other  school  to  observe  the  methods  of  a  teacher  who  has  shown 
special  ability  in  handling  some  subject. 

THE  EDUCATIONAL  PREPARATION  OF  THE  NINE  TOWNSHIP 
SUPERVISORS    1911-12 

Three  of  the  nine  superintendents  are  college  graduates. 
Five  have  had  normal  training.  All  but  two  have  had  high 
school  training  and  better.  Eight  hold  high  school  teaching 
certificates,   ranging  from  one  to  eight  3  ears. 

The  average  salary  received  is  $qoi,  but  three  of  the  nine 
superintendents  receive  more  than  this  average.  The  superin- 
tendents who  receive  more  than  this  average  serve  the  entire  3'ear, 
but  all  of  them  do  other  work  during  the  summer  vacations.  19.5 
years  are  the  average  teaching  experience  of  these  superintendents. 
The  lowest  is  7  3^ears;  the  highest,  50  years. 

In  two  of  the  townships,  the  supervision  is  merely  nominal, 
the  superintendents  devoting  nearly  all  their  time  to  teaching. 

TIME  DEVOTED  TO  SUPERVISION 

One  township  receives  full  time  supervision. 

Six  townships  receive  half  time  supervision. 

Two  townships,  one-tenth  time. 

Two  townships,  one  twentieth. 

One  township,  no  supervision. 

The  one  woman  supervisor  teaches  a  sub-district  school  and 
supervises  four  others.  Two  years  ago  her  school  published  a 
complete  history  of  the  school  since  its  founding  in  18 16.  For 
the  past  two  years  the  following  questionnaire  has  been  sent  to 
each  of  the  pupils  of  the  township.  This  must  be  answered  in 
letter  form,  which  makes  it  serve  two  purposes, — the  first  to 
interest  the  pupils  in  agriculture,  the  second  to  stimulate  practice 
in  letter  writing. 

A  SCHOOL  AGRICULTURAL  REPORT 

Questions  to  be  answered  in  the  form  of  a  letter 
I.     Do  3^ou  have  pets?     Write  an  interesting  paragraph  about  them. 


26 


MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 


2.  Do  you  own  chickens  or  other  poultry  ?    What  profit  are  they  to  you  ? 

3.  Do  you  own  any  domestic  animals?  Were  they  given  to  you  or  did 
you  earn  or  buy  them  ? 

4.  Do  you  have  a  bank  account  or  other  investment?  Where?  How 
much  ?  Do  you  "save"  regularly  ?  Do  you  buy  your  own  clothes  ?  Do  you 
appreciate  the  value  of  $1.00? 


A  Progressive  Country  School. 


5.  What  chores  do  you  do?     Every  day? 

6.  Can  you  milk,  churn  and  make  butter? 

7.  Can  you  harness  a  horse,  hitch  a  horse,  drive  a  horse  ? 

8.  Can   you   wash  and    iron?     Sweep   and  dust   and  "tidy"  a  room 
Make  a  bed  ?     How  ?     When  ? 

9.  Can  you  cook  a  meal  ?     Bake  bread,  cake  or  pies? 

10.  Can  you  put  up  fruit,  make  jams,  jellies? 

11.  Can  you  sew,  darn,  mend,  sew  on  buttons,  make  button-holes  or  do 
needle-work  of  any  kind  ? 

12.  Can  3'ou  tie   three  or  more  kinds  of  useful  knots?     Splice  a   rope? 

13.  Do    you  read    other  books  apart  from  your  school  work  ?     Write  a 
paragraph  about  "The  Best  Book  That  I  Have  Read  This  Year." 

14.  How  many  books  in  your  library?     Name  them. 

15.  Do  you  receive  any  magazine  or   paper  in  your  own  name?     What 
is  it?     Name  some  good  magazines. 

16.  Have   you  committed  any  poems,   songs,    or  other  good  selections 
of  literature  this  year?     What? 


A  RURAL  LIFE  SURVEY  OF  GREENE  COUNTY  27 

17.  Does  it  pay  to  do  right  and  to  act  right  at  all  times  ? 

18.  What  do  you  think  of  tale-bearing?     Is  it  your  duty  to  tell  truth 
about  wrong-doing?     Why? 

19.  How  should  a  school-room  look?     Sound? 

20.  Do  you  attend  any  church  or  Sunday  school  ?    Where  ?" 
Following   are   part    of   the  tabulated    results  of  the  above 

questions: 

Total  enrollment  of  the  township,  120;  boj^s  56,  girls  64. 
Average,    11  to  12  years. 

BANK  ACCOUNTS 

Many  of  the  5th,  6th,  7th  and  8th  grade  boys  and  girls 
had  bank  accounts,  postal  savings,  or  building  and  loan  invest- 
ments. The  highest  amount  was  $100  by  a  boy;  another  had 
over  $90;  one  other,  $50.  Five  girls  had  $25  each;  tA^o,  $20; 
sixteen  (boys  and  girls),  from  $10  to  $12.  All  the  above 
twenty-six  save   regularly    and    buy   or  help  to   buy  their  own 

clothes. 

CHORES 

The  boy  milkers  outnumbered  the  girls,  30  to  20.  The 
girls  did  the  most  of  the  churning. 

HOUSE  WORK 

Thirty  girls  and  four  boys  said  they  could  cook  a  meal;  42  girls 
bake  bread,  biscuit,  cake  or  pies.  Fifty-six  girls  do  sewing  or 
needle-w^ork  of  some  kind. 

Thirty- four  boys  and  sixteen  girls  could  harness  and  care  for 
horses;  ten  more,  or  sixty,  could  drive. 

One  boy  learned  to  tie  26  different  kinds  of  knots  from  an 
article  in  a  magazine;  seven  boys  learned  to  splice  ropes. 

BOOKS  READ 

All  reported  some  book  read  apart  from  school  work. 
Eighty  have  started  libraries  of  their  own. 

Two  special  points  of  improvement  over  19 12  were  notice- 
able in  the  year  191 3  returns.  The  letters  were  better  written, 
and  many  of  the  pupils  who  had  no  pets  or  did  not  take  nuich  in- 
terest in  the  things  suggested  in  the  questions  in  1 9 1 2  had  profited 
by  the  19 12  questionnaire  and  prepared  for  that  of  191 3. 


28  MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 

SUMMARY  OF  EDUCATIONAL  CONDITIONS 

Educational  conditions  in  Greene  Count}^  are  considerably 
above  the  average  in  many  respects.  The  marked  features  of 
the  educational  work  of  the  county  are: 

1 .  A  county  library  with  possibilities  of  bringing  through 
correspondence  with  township  vSUperintendents,  reading  facilities 
to  every  home  in  the  county. 

2.  Unusual  popular  interest  in  public  schools  as  shown  by 
a  high  per  cent,  of  school  enrollment  on  school  enumeration,  the 
proportion  of  3^oung  people  attending  secondary  schools  and  col- 
leges, the  interest  in  exhibits  at  county  fairs  and  in  contests,  and 
the  community  attendance  at  mass  day  exercises  at  the  close  of 
the  year. 

3.  A  higher  per  cent.  (70.9)  of  teachers  with  five  years  or 
less  of  teaching  experience  than  is  shown  by  the  report  of  the 
state  school  survey  (60). 

4.  A  higher  proportion  of  2,  3,  and  5  year  certificates  than 
for  the  state,  and  a  lower  proportion  of  one  year  certificates. 

5.  25.6  per  cent,  of  the  teachers  in  present  positions  three 
to  five  years  inclusive  as  compared  with  5.6  per  cent,  for  the  state, 
and  a  correspondingly  lower  proportion  of  teachers  having  6  or 
more  years  experience.  50.5  have  one  year  or  less  experience  as 
against  70.6  for  the  state. 

6.  An  unfavorable  showing  as  to  number  of  recitations  a 
day,  61.4  per  cent,  have  25  to  35  recitations  as  compared  with 
40.7  for  the  state.  Township  supervision,  while  enriching  the 
course  of  study  and  grading  schools  is  apt  to  result  in  over- 
crowding of  courses  and  overgrading.  The  work  must  be  so  organ- 
ized that  non-essentials  will  be  omitted  and  adequate  time  given 
to  the  recitation  period. 

7.  The  existence  of  five  township  high  schools,  two  of 
which  are  in  the  open  country  and  are  representative  of  the  best 
in  the  state. 

8.  The  existence  of  a  well-developed  system  of  township 
supervision  which  has  resulted  where  adequate  time  is  given  to 
supervision  in  "educational  buildings  at  the  fair  grounds,  school 


A  RURx\L  LIFE  SURVKY  OF  GREENE  COUNTY  29 

exhibits,  uniform  examinations,  efficient  teachers  meetings,  "home 
gardens,  better  equipped  school  buildings,  greater  efficiency 
in  teaching  and  increased  public  sentiment  in  favor  of  better 
schools. 

9.  A  live,  consecrated  teaching  force  working  in  an  environ- 
ment offering  most  favorable  opportunities  for  service. 

10.  Two  small  colleges  in  the  county, *each  sending  its  quota 
of  efficient  workers  into  the  responsible  positions  in  the  county 
and  elsewhere,  and  a  due  proportion  of  these  graduates  returning 
to  enrich  the  life  of  the  rural  community. 

No  constructive  suggestions  need  be  given  since  state  leg- 
islation already  made  will  provide  for  such  readjustment  as 
may  be  necessary.  Emphasis  upon  agriculture  in  rural  schools, 
development  of  secondary  education  to  meet  the  needs  of  each 
community,  and  correlation  of  the  work  of  the  school  with  the 
educational  resources  and  needs  of  the  community  should  be 
continued,  and  rural  education  in  Greene  County  will  continue  to 
be,  as  it  is  now,  representative  of  the  best  in  the  state. 

♦Wilberforee  University  for  colored  students  is  also  located  in  the  county. 


RELIGIOUS  LIFE 

Greene  County  is  typical  of  those  parts  of  the  state  which  are 
rich  in  agricultural  resources,  and  which  are  far  enough  from  any 
of  the  great  centers  of  city  life  to  be  but  indirectly  influenced  by 
them  except  along  the  borders.  The  religious  life  of  Greene 
County  does  not  present  the  phenomenon  of  churches  influenced 
by  the  presence  of  persons  whose  business  is  in  neighboring  cities. 
Xenia,  a  city  of  8700  inhabitants,  exerts  some  influence  on  the 
surrounding  rural  neighborhood.  On  the  economic  side  and  also 
from  the  point  of  view  of  homogeneity  of  population,  intelligence 
and  traditions,  conditions  are  favorable  for  the  development  of 
a  high  state  of  religious  and  social  life.  The  large  proportion  of 
negroes  in  the  county  does  not  offer  serious  hindrances  to  develop- 
ment of  the  social  life  of  the  white  population. 

Greene  County  has  83  churches.  17  of  these  are  located  in 
the  city  of  Xenia,  38  in  the  villages  and  28  in  the  open  country. 
14  colored  churches,  seven  in  Xenia  and  seven  in  the  villages, 
are  included  in  the  number.  A  study  of  the  accompanying  map 
indicates  that  such  lack  of  adjustment  as  exists  consists  not  so 
much  in  over-churching  as  in  too  great  centralization  of  church 
life  at  some  points  and  a  comparative  lack  of  facilities  for  worship 
at  others.  The  most  conspicuous  situations  that  appear  to  call 
for  readjustment  are:  (i)  Bellbrook,  in  Sugar  Creek  Township, 
with  three  churches.  There  is  no  resident  pastor  and  none  of  the 
churches  are  doing  more  than  holding  their  owm.  (2)  Caesar's 
Creek  Township  with  six  very  small  congregations.  (3)  An  area 
in  Ross  Township  and  another  in  southern  Bath  and  nothern 
Beaver  Creek  w^hich  appear  to  offer  promising  areas  for  extension 
of  religious  activities. 

The  day  has  not  yet  arrived  when  all  the  rural  population 
can  travel  several  miles  to  church  and  Sunday  School  any  more 
readily  than  they  can  to  day  school.  Until  that  time  comes 
through  the  introduction  of  automobiles,  interurban  railways  and 

[30] 


A  RURAIv  IvIFE  SURVEY  OF  GREENE  COUNTY 


31 


Other  means  of  travel,  the  effort  should  be  made  to  provide  ade- 
quate religious  services  near  the  homes  of  the  people. 

Seventeen  denominations  served  by  38  ministers  are  repre- 
sented by  the  sixty-six  churches  located  outside  of  Xenia  as 
follows:  Methodist  Episcopal,  17;  Christian  (Christian  and  Disci- 
ple), 7;  German  Reformed,  6;  Friends,  4;  Baptist  (Primitive),  3- 
Baptist,  2;  Methodist  Protestant,  6;  Presbyterian,  3;  United 
Presbyterian,  3;  Reformed  Presbyterian,  i;  Roman  Catholic  2;. 
Lutheran,  i;  United  Brethren,  i;  German  Baptist  Brethren,  2' 
Mennonite,  i;  A.  M.  E.,  4;  Baptist   (colored),  3. 

Greene  County  Church  Map— Xenia  Omitted. 


KEY   TO   HAP 


^  ChURCH  With  Rlsiqlnt  Himistlr 
□  ChuFfCH  Without  Rlsidlnt  Mimist^r 

X  fllNISTtR'S    RL5\OL^4LE. 

W  Church  Without  Himimer 
I  Abandome-d  Crtuncrt 


Nu^^LR^L5  Indicate  MtbABLRSHiP 
Imc.,-  Increasing 
DEC.,-DtCRE:^slMe» 
St.,  —  Stationary 


32 


MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 


Many  of  the  ministers,  as  is  shown  by  the  converging  resi- 
dence lines  (see  map),  are  still  serving  two,  three,  and  occasionally 
five  churches.  Eight  of  the  thirty-eight  ministers  live  outside  the 
county.  Fifty-six  protestant  churches  reported  an  average  seat- 
ing capacity  of  292.  The  total  number  of  church  buildings  now 
in  use  by  the  white  population  is  equivalent  to  one  church  for 
each  373  persons,  and  for  the  colored  population  the  ratio  is  i  to 

283- 

The  total  church  membership  in  the  county  outside  of  Xenia 

was  reported  as  6,767.  This  is  exclusive  of  two  small  disorganized 
colored  churches  at  Cedarville  and  a  Catholic  Church  at  Yellow 
springs,  information  as  to  the  membership  of  which  was  not 
obtained.     The  total  membership  in  Xenia  is  6153. 

Including  an  estimated  membership  of  400  for  the  other 
churches  for  which  accurate  data  was  not  obtained,  the  total 
church  membership  of  the  county  is  approximately  13,320. 
This  total  ma}^  be  accepted  as  representative,  because  the  tend- 
ency is  for  membership  within  the  county  of  persons  residing 
elsewhere  to  be  off-set  by  the  membership  in  churches  elsewhere 
of  persons  residing  wnthin  the  county.  Of  the  total  member- 
ship 1779  are  colored,  1259  of  these  having  their  membership  in 
the  city  of  Xenia  and  520  in  other  churches.  The  following 
table  will  show  the  status  of  the  population  as  to  church  mem- 
bership: 

TABLE  XII 

Church  Membership 


Race 

Population 
County 

Church 
Membership 

^Per 
Cent. 

White                  

25,760 
3,970 

11,541 
1,779 

44.8 

Colored 

44  8 

Total   

29,730 

13,320 

44.8 

* — Cf.  Clermont  Co.  data,  32.3  per  cent,  page  66,  and  Butler,  Darke  and 
Montgomery  Counties,  "Rural  Survey  in  Southwestern  Ohio,"  p.  51.  A 
comparison  of  the  membership  of  churches  outside  of  Xenia  with  the  rural 
population  of  1910  yields  a  per  cent,  of  33.5,  somewhat  higher  than  the 
results  for  Darke,  Butler,  and  Montgomer\'  Counties  and  about  the  same  as 
for  Clermont  County.  The  explanation  for  the  higher  percentage  of  the 
county  doubtless  is  in  the  large  proportion  of  country  population  holding 
membership  in  city  churches. 


A  RURAL  LIFE  SURVF.V  OF  GREENE  COUNTY 


33 


The  population  data  are  for  1910,  wherea.s  the  religious  data 
are  for  1913.  However,  the  change  in  either  is  not  rapid  enough 
to  invalidate  the  conclusions  reached. 

Greene  County  presents  a  high  percentage  of  membership 
among  the  counties  studied  in  southwestern  Ohio. 

Greene  County  shows  better  conditions  as  to  church  vitality 
than  some  of  the  other  counties.  Reports  were  secured  as  to  the 
increase  or  decrease  in  membership  of  60  churches  as  follows: 

TABI^E  XIII 
Church  Growth 


Churches 

Total 

Town 

Country 

No. 

Per  Cent. 

No. 

18 
6 
8 

Per  Cent. 

No. 

Per  Cent. 

Increasing  .... 
Stationary  ..  . 
Decreasing   .  . . 

30 
12 
18 

50 
20 
30 

56.2 

18.8 
25.0 

12 

6 

10 

42.8 

21    4 

35-8 

Total..... 

60 

100 

32 

100. 0 

28 

100  0 

The  evidence  is  that  in  Greene  County  as  elsewhere  the  open 
country  church  is  not  holding  its  own  as  well  as  the  village 
church.  Both  country  and  village  churches  are  thriving  better 
in  this  county,  however,  than  in  the  less  favored  agricultural 
counties. 

Other  data  secured  indicate  that  this  decrease  is  more  nomi- 
nal than  real.  Figures  as  to  membership  in  1902,  1907  and  1913 
were  secured  from  27  "town"  churches  and  22  "country"  churches 
representing  a  total  present  membership  of  5,331  or  74.3  per 
cent,  of  the  total  rural  membership  with  the  following  results: 

TABLE  XIV 


Kind  of 

No.  Re- 

Membership 

Increase  or 
Decrease 

Church 

porting 

1902 

1913 

No. 

Per. 
Cent. 

"Town"  .  .. 
"Country". 

27 
22 

49 

3263 
1583 

3774 
1557 

+    511 
_      26 

-r    15-7 

-     1.6 

Total .    .  . 

4846 

5331 

+    485 

+    lO.O 

Rural 
Population 

(1900)22917 

(  I9I0')2I027 

—  1890 

_  8.0 

R  S  [  8  ] 


34 


MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 


This  record  of  membership  as  compared  with  population  in- 
dicates that  the  church  life  in  Greene  County  is  considerably 
above  the  average.  An  increase  of  lo  per  cent,  in  church  mem- 
bership while  the  population  has  decreased  8  per  cent,  is,  com- 
paratively speaking,  very  creditable.  The  open  country  churches, 
considering  the  decrease  in  population,  have  more  than  held 
their  own. 

The  data  for  average  membership  and  attendance  in  rural 
churches  furnish  an  interesting  comparison  with  similar  data  col- 
lected from  the  churches  of  the  city  of  Xenia. 

TABLE  XV 


Membership 

Average  Attendance 
Morning  Service 

Place 

No.  Churches 
Reporting 

1 1 

7 

Average 
Mem'ship 

No.  Churches 
Reporting 

Atten- 
dance 

White  Xenia... 
Colored  Xenia 

445* 
i8o 

7 

7 

311 

67 

Total  Xenia. .  . 

i8 

342* 

14 

189 

Villages 

Open  Country . 

34 

25 

135 
73 

28 

13 

93 
66 

♦Iiieludes  one  church  with  mpmbership  of  1,-500,  and  one  with  membership  of  fou»- 
teen.     Average  for  remaining  nine  is  875. 

Xenia  has  two  churches  with  an  unusually  large  member- 
ship and  average  attendance.  One  of  them  reports  an  av-erage 
of  800,  and  the  other  465.  These  tend  to  increase  the  general 
average  for  the  cit3^  The  average  attendance  for  the  village 
and  country  churches  is  not  large. 

The  average  membership  per  family  as  determined  from 
data  obtained  from  32  churches  was  2.2.  According  to  the 
census  of  19 10,  the  average  size  of  Green  County  families  was 
3.8.  Compared  with  conditions  in  other  counties,  there  is  a  rela- 
tively small  percentage  of  the  churches  that  have  a  member- 
ship under  50.  Twelve  churches  or  19.3  per  cent,  have  under 
this  number. 


A  RURAL  LIFE  SURVEY  OF  GREENE  COUNTY 


35 


Complete  data  as  to  church  attendance  were  not  obtained. 
The  data  secured  are  as  follows: 

TABLE  XVI 
ToTAiv  Average  Attendance 


Time 

No.  Churches 
Reporting 

Male 

Female 

Total 

Pc. 
Male 

Pc. 
Fem. 

A.    M 

P.    M 

Evening 

33 
9 

25 

1329 
170 

638 

2055 
220 

883 

3384 

390 

1521 

39-3 
43-6 
48.6 

60.7 
56.4 
51   4 

Total    

2137 

3158 

5295 

The  average  attendance  at  the  morning  service  is  the  largest. 

The  per  cent,  of  attendance  of  females  is  also  largest  at  this 
period.  If  this  average  for  the  morning  service  holds  good  for 
all  the  country  and  village  churches,  there  should  be  an  average 
attendance  for  the  entire  count}^  approximating  6600  people,  a 
number  but  slightly  less  than  the  total  rural  and  village  member- 

A  Modern  Country  Church— Greene  County 


Mt.  Zion  Reformed  Church,  Beaver  Creek  Township. 


36  MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 

ship,  6767.     Doubtless  this  percentage  of  attendance  is  too  large 
to  be  representative. 

The  ph3^sical  condition  of  the  church  buildings  is  generally 
good.  Over  50  per  cent,  of  the  churches  have  but  one  room. 
Nine  reported  kitchens  and  dining  rooms.  Only  two  churches 
have  horse  sheds.  39  per  cent,  of  the  buildings  are  brick.  39 
out  of  56  or  69.6  per  cent,  of  both  the  brick  and  frame  buildings 
were  in  good  condition.  66.1  per  cent,  or  nearly  two-thirds  of 
the  grounds  are  reported  in  good  or  fair  condition.  The  data  as 
to  average  expenditures  are  as  follows: 

TABLE  XVII 

Average  Expenditures 


Item 

No .    Churches 
Reporting 

Total  Value 
or  Amount 

Average  \^alue 
or   Amount 

Value  of  buildings 
Value  of  Parsonage 

Pastor's  salary   .  . 
Supervision     .... 
Janitor  service    .  .  . 
Fuel  and  light .... 
Renairs           .    .... 

57 
17 

50 
21 

41 
37 
19 
28 
22 
24 

23 
12 

$146,200.00 
33,700.00 

$21,167.00 
1,848.00 
2,442.00 
1,805.00 
7,647  00 
1,628.00 
2,184.00 
2,853.00 
3,544.00 
2,112 .00 

$2,565.00 
1,982 .00 

423  00 
88.00 
60.00 
49.00 

402 . 00 

Sunday    School.    . 
Home  Missions.    . 
Foreign    Missions. 
Other  Benevolences 
Other   Expenses .  . 

48.00 

99 .  00 

1 1 9  00 

154.00 

176.00 

Total  Expenses . 

42 

$26,980.00 

$642 .00 

Receipts  are  from  two  principal  sources:  subscriptions  and 
collections.  The  following  table  shows  the  relative  importance 
of  the  different  sources: 


A  RURAL  IvIFE  SURVEY  OF  GREENE  COUNTY 

TABLE  XVIII 
Average  Incomes 


37 


Form  of  Incomes 

No.  Churches 
Reporting 

21 

25 

Total 

Averag^e 

Subscriptions 

Collections 

$19,160.50 
2,730.00 

$912.40 
158.00 

A  small  amount  was  received  from  socials,  home  mission  aid, 
and  endowment,  but  this  was  not  enough  to  affect  appreciably  the 
total. 

A  rough  estimate  of  the  annual  financial  cost  to  the  county 
of  its  religious  equipment  may  be  made  from  the  averages  arrived 
at. 


Interest  on  Value  of  Property 

I 

66  churches  @  $2,565  per  church.  .  . 

17  parsonages   

Operating  expense  66  churches  @  . 
'^6_L'>  Der  church            

$169,290®  5%    $8,464  00 
33.700  @5%       1,685.00 

42,372.00 

Total 

l$52,52I.OO 

Total  membership,   7167. 

Average  cost  per  member,  approximately,  $7  30.  Deprecia- 
tion of  property  not  considered. 

This  amount  is  practically  the  same  as  is  paid  per  member  in 
Clermont  County. 

Few  data  were  obtained  as  to  the  complete  educational 
training  of  the  ministers  serving  in  the  county.  Of  the  thirty 
reporting,  nineteen  had  seminary  training  and  seven  others  some 
collegiate  preparation. 

The  distribution  of  the  time  spent  in  the  present  and  preced- 
ing parishes  by  the  ministers  is  given  below. 


38 


MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 

TABLE  XIX 


Number  of   Years 

In  Present 
Parish 

In  Preceding 
Parish 

One  or  under 

Two 

9 
6 

4 

2 

5 
3 

3 

I 

Three   

Four   

Five    ...    

Six  and  over 

4 
3 
6 

3 

One  pastor  has  served  fifty  j^ears  in  the  same  parish.  The 
average  length  of  service  is  4. 7  years.  As  is  shown  above, .  fifteen 
or  52  per  cent,  have  been  in  the  present  parish  two  years  or  less. 

Seven  of  the  ministers  have  other  occupations  in  addition  to 
their  regular  ministerial  duties.  There  are  one  farmer,  five  stud- 
ents, one  editor,  one  machinist,  one  salesman,  one  contractor  and 
builder,  and  one  teacher. 

The  average  income  of  eighteen  of  the  pastors  in  the  county 
is  $1048.  But  four  of  these  are  compelled  to  pa}^  rent  for  their 
parsonages.  This  is  much  better  than  the  average  salary  paid  to 
the  township  school  supervisors,  w^hich  is  $901.00.  The  average 
amount  paid  by  individual  churches  has  gradually  increased. 
Ten  years  ago  it  w^as  $389;  five  years  ago,  $390;  now  it  is  $420. 
Ten  churches  report  a  decrease  in  expenditures  over  the  ten  year 
period. 

THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  AND  OTHER  ORGANIZATIONS 

In  61  Sunday  Schools  reporting,  there  were  246  teachers 
engaged.  The  total  enrollment  was  5040,  and  the  average  attend- 
ance in  55  Sunday  Schools  was  3212  or  ^S  per  school.  As 
compared  with  the  5904  young  people  under  21  years  of  age  in 
the  small  villages  and  rural  districts  in  Greene  Count}^  the  total 
enrollment  represents  85  per  cent,  and  the  average  attendance 
54.4  per  cent.  This  average  attendance  suggests  the  pos.^ibilities 
of  careful  study  of  local  communities  wath  the  purpose  of  reach- 
ing a  larger  proportion  of  young  people.  This  does  not  take 
into   consideration  the    fact  that  the  total  enrollment  of  50^0  is 


A  RURAL  LIFE  SURVEY  OF  GREENE  COUNTY 


39 


made  up  partly  of  those  over  21  years  of  age,  an  item  which 
somewhat  lowers  the  per  cent.  A  condition  to  be  considered  is 
the  enrollment  of  country  children  in  the  Sunday  Schools  of 
Xenia.  This  is  a  limited  influence.  The  Sunday  School  is  the 
chief  source  of  new  members  to  the  church,  as  is  shown  by  the 
data  obtained.  Of  the  237  joining  church  on  confession,  229 
came  from  the   Sunday  School. 

The  comparison  of    enrollment    and    average  attendance  in 
Sunday  School  in  the  villiage  and  open  country  is  interesting. 

TABLE  XX 

Sunday  School  Attendance 


Item 

Total 

Town 

Country 

Enrollment 

Av.  enrol.  perS.  S.  [54]*.  .  •  . 
Av.    attendance       [55]*-  •  •  • 
Per  cent,  of   attendance 
on   enrollment.      . 

5040 

93 -3  [33]* 
58. 5  [33]* 

62.4 

3620 
io9.7[2i]* 
69.6[2i]* 

63. 4  [20]* 

1420 

67.6 
41   6 

61.6 

•Ghurehes  reporting. 

Whereas  the  enrollment  in  country  Sunday  Schools  is  smaller, 
the  per  cent,  of  attendance  is  about  the  same.  This  speaks  well  for 
the  standards  of  the  rural  population  as  to  regularity  of  attendance. 
The  per  cent,  of  attendance  on  enrollment  is  lower  in  both  cases, 
however,  than  is  consistent  with  the  highest  standards  of 
efiicienc}'. 

Practically  all  the  Sunday  Schools  in  the  county  continue 
for  twelve  months.  There  are  but  five  churches  without  Sunday 
Schools,  and  only  one  Sunday  School  not  connected  with  a  church. 
Very  few  reported  special  equipment,  such  as  blackboards,  books» 
maps,  charts,  etc. 

The  social  life  of  the  Sunday  School  is  discussed  elsewhere. 
There  is  little  doubt  that  the  Sunday  School  in  this  county 
could  be  bettered    by    the    addition    of   more   social  features. 

No  men's  social  organizations  in  the  churches  were  reported. 
The  membership  and  the  average  attendance  at  the  Young  Peo- 
ples' and  the  Women's  Church  organizations  are  given  as  follows: 


40  MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 

TABLE  XXI 


Organization 


Young  People's  Societies 

Women's  Societies 

Prayer  meeting 


No.  Re-   L^      ,       ^. 
porting    I  Membership 


i8  554 


Average 
Attendance 


495 


46  1556  744 


20 


3^3 


Eighteen  churches  reported  protracted  meetings  and  con- 
versions in  the  past  year.  These  meetings  averaged  fifteen  days 
in  length.  There  were  256  conversions,  210  of  the  converts  join- 
ing church. 

SUMMARY  OF  RELIGIOUS  CONDITIONS 

The  characteristic  phases  of  the  religious  situation  in 
Greene  County  as  brought  out  by  the  Survey  are: 

1.  With  two  or  three  exceptions,  freedom  from  the  usual 
complications  of  over-churching. 

2.  A  few  sections  with  inadequate  church  facilities. 

3.  A  percentage  of  membership  in  proportion  to  total  po- 
pulation for  the  whole  county  of  44.8  as  compared  with  33.5  for 
the  rural  and  village  communities  of  the  county,  and  39  for  the 
entire  state. 

4.  Notwithstanding  the  decrease  in  population  in  the  county 
75  per  cent,  of  the  village  churches  and  64  per  cent,  of  the  county 
churches  are  either  holding  their  own  or  are  increasing  in  member- 
ship. The  village  churches  show  the  greater  vitality,  since  56  2 
per  cent,  of  these  are  growing  where  but  42.8  per  cent,  of  the 
country  churches  are  growing.  On  the  other  hand  but  25  per 
cent,  of  the  village  churches  reporting  are  losing  ground,  while 
35.8  per  cent,  of  the  country  churches  are  losing  ground.  Of  49 
churches  reporting,  the  membership  increase  in  a  ten  year  period 
was  10  per  cent,  whereas  during  the  last  census  decade,  the  loj-s 
of  rural  population  was  8  per  cent. 

5.  Greene  County    presents    the    usual    characteristics    of 
absentee  pastorates  and  multiplicity  of  denominations.      It  does 
not  have  as  large  a  proportion  of  seminary  students  as  pastors  as 
is  found  in  certain  other  sections  of  the  state. 


A  RURAL  LIFE  SURVEY  OF  GREENE  COUNTY  41 

6.  Both  churches  and  Sunday  Schools  have  large  opportunity 
for  service  in  reaching  those  not  brought  directly  under  the 
influence  of  these  agencies.  The  Sunday  School,  and  the  i^eriod 
of  decision  offered  in  the  annual  revival,  are  as  yet  the  principal 
agencies  for  extending  the  influence  of  the  church.  At  present, 
when  the  need  of  extending  and  strengthening  the  social  and 
recreational  life  of  the  communities  so  generally  recognized,  it 
would  appear  that  the  churches  of  the  county  have  a  golden 
opportunity  to  appropriate  the  social  agencies  as  means  of 
extending  their  influence;  and  in  turn,  the  social  life  of  the 
community  under  the  auspices  of  religious  agencies  would  have 
the  moral  environment  and  the  spirit  of  service  accompanying  it 
which  are  characteristic  of  the  religious  life. 

7.  Greene  County  has  taken  an  advanced  step  in  the  cordial 
support  given  to  both  the  Young  Men's  and  the  Young  Women's 
Christian  Associations.  Both  these  organizations  have  been 
doing  a  definite  service  to  the  young  people  of  the  county  and 
have  been  supplementing  the  efforts  of  the  church  along  lines  of 
social  improvement.  The  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  has 
held  a  number  of  boys'  congresses  made  up  of  delegates  from  all 
parts  of  the  county.  This  organization  devotes  most  of  its  atten- 
tion, however,  to  problems  within  the  city  of  Xenia.  The  Young 
Women's  Christian  Association  has  extended  its  activities  to 
different  parts  of  the  county  and  at  the  close  of  the  last  year 
(19 1 3)  had  a  membership  of  150  in  the  Xenia  Camp  Fire  Girls' 
Organization,  and  had  branches  established  in  Beaver  Creek 
and  Yellow^  Springs.  Thus  the  religious  life  of  the  county  is 
gradually  being  brought  into  a  unified  constructive  agency  for 
the  advance  of  the  social  welfare  of  the  community;  and  in 
religious  activity  as  in  agricultural  and  educational  interests, 
Greene  County  ought  to  continue  to  be  among  the  leaders  in  the 
state. 

SUMMARY  AND  CONCLUSIONS  OF   THE  SURVEY  OF 
GREENE  COUNTY 

The  conclusion  of  the  survey  must  be  that,  comparatively 
speaking,  Greene  County  is  in  a  high  state  of  social  development. 
It  has  been  shown  that  there  is  some  lack  of  adjustment  of  church 


42  MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 

life  to  the  community;  that  some  churches  continue  to  struggle  to 
exist  which  should  merge  their  eflForts  into  those  of  other  organi- 
zations for  the  benefit  of  the  community;  that  there  is  a  possibility 
of  a  wider  influence  of  the  Sunday  Schools  in  the  county.  But 
the  spirit  of  progress  is  such  that  doubtless  these  conditions  will 
soon  be  remedied. 

The  schools  are  representative  of  the  best  in  the  state,  parti- 
cularly in  the  effect  of  township  supervision.  The  schools,  more- 
over, through  their  mass  day  programs  have  exercised  a  powerful 
unifying  interest  in  the  social  life  of  the  country. 

The  moral  life  should  be  considered  in  connection  with  the 
recreational  life.  Evidence  exists  that  the  country  and  particu- 
larly the  villages  are  brought  under  the  influence  of  neighboring 
cities;  and  for  this  reason  the  people  of  the  country  have  a  right 
through  the  state  legislature  to  say  what  the  moral  influence  of 
the  city  shall  be  in  the  same  way  that  the  state  shall  say  what 
steps  the  city  must  take  to  prevent  physical  contagion.  This 
right  has  not  been  exerted  as  yet,  but  doubtless  will  be  before 
many  years  have  passed. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  evidence  is  that  both  country  and 
village  are  still  lacking  in  provision  for  wholesome  amusement  for 
their  boys  and  girls.  When  adequate,  pure  recreation  is  provided, 
the  saloon  and  vice  resorts  of  the  neighboring  city  wall  exert  less 
influence.  The  county  can  urge  the  development  of  the  social 
center  in  co-operation  with  the  schools,  the  Christian  Association 
and  the  churches.  When  adequate  recreational  Hfe  is  provided, 
the  village  and  the  rural  community  will  be  on  a  much  higher 
plane  of  social  life  than  at  present. 

Greene  Count}"  is  one  of  the  pioneers  in  the  engagement  of 
a  trained  social  engineer,  the  County  Agricultural  Adviser.  The 
utility  of  the  movement  has  already  demonstrated  itself,  and 
this  county  should  in  time  show  very  marked  advancement  in  all 
phases  of  rural  life  and  interest. 


RURAL  LIFE  SURVEY 

OF 

CLERMONT  COUNTY 
OHIO 


INDUSTRIAL  CONDITIONS  IN  CLERMONT  COUNTY 


Clermont  Count}^  is  located  on  the  Ohio  River,  the  second 
county  east  of  the  Indiana  line.  Its  county  seat,  Batavia,  is 
centrail}^  located,  having  a  population  in  1910  of  1,034.  It  has 
no  town  that  has  an  influence  over  any  considerable  portion  of  the 
county.  However,  Cincinnati,  in  the  next  county,  is  easil}^ 
accessible  from  every  part  and  has  a  decided  influence  politically, 
socially,  and  morally  over  the  whole  county.  All  its  roads, 
electric  and  steam,  lead  to  Cincinnati. 

The  topograph}'  of  the  county  is  such  that  the  county  falls 
into  three  divisions:  the  level  plateau  on  the  northeast;  a  wide 
central  strip  of  hills  and  valleys,  steep  declivities  and  gradual 
ises;  and  a  narrow  strip  of  river  bottom  along  the  Ohio,  having 
a  steep  ridge  for  a  background.  The  level  plateau  contains  the 
best  farming  land  in  the  county  but  is  rather  difficult  to  drain. 
A  few  have  tried  underground  tile  drainage,  which  has  proved 
successful,  much  to  the  surprise  of  the  old  farmers  of  the 
community,  who  had  predicted  failure.  The  central  strip  of  hilly 
farms  contains  much  waste  land  that  could  be  utilized  for 
pasturage.  The  soil  is  clay  with  limestone  layers  underneath. 
The  roads  are  rolling  and  not  well  adapted  to  travelling  or  hauhng 
heavy  loads.  The  Little  Miami  River  along  the  northeastern 
border  with  its  East  Fork  tributary  flowing  through  the  central 
portion  of  this  division  drains  the  greater  part  of  the  county. 
The  river  section  consists  of  a  narrow  strip  of  fertile  river  bottom 
land  and  for  a  background  a  steep  ridge  which  forms  the  water 
shed  between  the  Miami  and  Little  Miami.  The  road  between 
Stonelick  and  Monterey,  a  distance  of  six  miles,  rises  355  feet. 
The  roads  from  the  river  to  the  towns  of  the  central  section  rise 
rapidly  all  the  way. 

There  are  no  mineral  resources  in  the  county  except 
limestone,  and  this  is  quarried  for  local  use  only.  The  county 
has    no    manufacturing    centers  and  is  therefore    dependent    on 

[45] 


46 


MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 


agriculture  as  its  chief  source  of  income.  The  county  has  a  total 
area  of  297,  600  acres  (19 10).  Of  this  number,  274,  210  acres  are 
in  farms  now;  in  1900,  274,  880  acres  were  in  farms.  Thus  there 
has  been  a  decrease  of  670  acres  in  ten  j^ears. 

The  total  number  of  farms  has  decreased  in  the  past 
decade  and  the  size  has  sHghth'  increased.  The  following  table 
shows   the   relative   changes   as  reported    by  the  U.  S.   Census: 

TABLE  XXII 


Size  of  Farm,  Acres 


Under  10 

10  to  99 

100  to  259.  .  .  . 

260  and  above 


Year 


I9IO 

1900 

313 

402 

2570 

2735 

963 

944 

30 

32 

The  marked  increase  is  in  fartns  of  100  to  260  acres. 
Farms    of    under     100    acres  have  uniformly  decreased. 

Clermont  county  has  shown  a  tendency  toward  decrease  in 
tenantry  and  increase  in  ownership.  The  number  of  farms 
operated  by  owners  increased  from  2698  in  1900  to  2797  1910, 
while  the  farms  operated  by  tenants  decreased  from  1390  to  1042. 
The  number  of  farms  operated  by  managers   increased  from  25  to 

37- 

Among  the  owners  of  farms  there  are  2,525  native  whites, 

238  foreign-born  whites,  chiefly  Jews  and  Hungarians  who  have 
moved  into  the  territory  for  truck  farming,  and  37  negroes.  Of 
tenants  there  are  992  native  whites,  23  foreign-born  whites,  and 
27  negroes.  The  foreign  element  usually  bu}'  in  groups,  and 
when  the  foreigners  settle  in  a  neighborhood,  property  falls  in 
value,  because  the  native  element  will  not  mix  with  them  and 
wants  to  leave.  In  Pierce  Loop  there  is  a  large  Jewish  settlement; 
at  Mt.  Carmel  village  nearly  half  of  the  population  are  Hungari- 
ans.    In  both  places  the  native  people  wish  to  sell  and  move  out. 


A  RURAL  LIFE  SURVEY  OF  CLERMONT  COUNTY  47 

TRANSPORTATION  FACILITIES 

The  roads  are  uniformly  bad  and  are  frequently  washed  out 
in  places.  Little  money  has  been  spent  upon  them  either  in  con- 
struction or  for  repairs,  for  the  county,  depending  as  it  does  up- 
on agriculture  as  its  only  source  of  income,  is  financially  poor. 
Out  of  a  total  of  1086  miles  of  road,  435  miles  are  stone.  Prob- 
ably the  greatest  obstacle  in  the  way  of  improvement  is  the  hills, 
which  make  necessary  an  enormous  amount  of  grading  before 
travel  can  become  at  all  eas}^ 

The  county  has  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  in  the  extreme 
northwest,  the  Norfolk  and  Western  through  the  center,  and 
the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  along  the  river  on  the  Kentuckj^  side. 
The  north  is  also  crossed  by  the  C.  M.  &  L.  and  the  Cincinnati 
and  Columbus  electric  lines;  the  central  part  by  the  C.  A.  &  P. 
and  the  Inter.  R.  R.  and  Tr.  Co.;  and  New  Richmond  on  the 
river  is  connected  with  Cincinnati  by  the  southern  branch  of  the 
Inter.  R.  R.  and  Tr.  Co.  electric  line.  Each  of  these  roads  leads 
to  Cincinnati.  They  are  so  well  distributed  that  probably  every 
farm  is  well  within  five  miles  of  one  or  another  of  these  lines. 
The  division  of  the  county  into  three  parts  because  of  its  topo- 
graphical condition  and  the  interests  of  the  inhabitants  is  also 
sustained  by  these  roads.  There  is  no  communication  between 
the  three  parts  except  through  Cincinnati,  save  b}'  way  of  the 
railroad,  which  runs  only  two  trains  each  wa}^  a  day,  making 
connection  at  Milford  with  the  C.  M.  &  L.  and  the  Cincinnati 
and  Columbus  Electric  Lines. 

The  effect  is  very  evident.  The  count}^  seat  at  Batavia  has 
never  been  visited  by  many  citizens  of  the  county.  The  count}'  is 
peculiar,  in  that  some  of  the  county  officers  do  not  live  at  the  county 
seat.  For  instance,  the  surveyor  lives  five  miles  away  at  Owensville. 
The  teachers'  institute  is  held  at  Williamsburg  on  the  N.  &  W., 
a  town  difficult  to  reach.  The  county  fair  is  held  at  Owensville, 
in  the  northern  section,  which  can  only  be  reached  through  Cincin- 
nati or  by  taking  an  early  train  on  the  N.  &  W.  to  Milford  and 
changing  to  the  Interurban.  The  teachers  in  the  southern  divis- 
ion of  the  county  seldom  attend.  Many  people  did  not  know 
there  was  a  county  fair  in  Clermont  county.      At  one  time  each  of 


48  MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 

these  divisions  had  its  own  fair.  There  is  no  county  spirit — no 
unit}^  whatever.  There  is  continued  jealousy.  Bethel  and  Williams- 
burg are  each  striving  to  secure  the  county  seat. 

The  farmers  are  beginning  to  realize  what  the  electric 
lines  mean  to  them.  A  few  have  already  taken  advantage 
of  this  new  shipping  facility,  and  have  started  truck,  dairy,  or 
fruit  farms,  sending  the  product  to  the  commission  houses  of 
Cincinnati,' Portsmouth,  or  Columbus  b}'  way  of  the  Interurban. 
They  have  little  or  no  difficulty  in  disposinp-  of  their  products. 
Ver\^  little  complaint  is  heard  from  the  farmers  concerning  ill 
treatment  by  the  conmiission  men.  It  is  a  very  common  sight  to 
see  from  twenty  to  thirty  calves  herded  together  in  the  baggage 
section  of  the  early  morning  passenger  cars.  During  the  berry 
season  the  various  lines  have  special  cars  in  the  morning  taking 
the  berries  from  the  farms  directl_v  to  the  commission  houses. 
All  the  farmers  need  to  do  is  bring  the  berries  to  the  station. 
Milk  cans  make  an  important  part  of  the  baggage.  The  country 
is  well  adapted  to  dairy  or  fruit  farming  because  of  the  large 
acreage  per  farm  that  cannot  be  cultivated.  The  limestone 
soil  affords  good  blue  grass  pasturage,  while  the  valleys  of  the 
farms  raise  good  feed.  Besides,  the  land  is  comparatively  low 
in  price  and  a  market  with  healthy  demand  is  within  easy  reach. 

The  spirit  has  been  conservative  and  traditional.  The 
farmer  and  the  villager  speak  of  the  great  things  of  the  past 
rather  than  the  future.  The}"  love  to  tell  stories  of  their 
fathers  and  of  how  they  used  to  do  things.  The  farmer  of  this 
county  as  yet  farms  with  almost  no  machinery.  To  him  the  farm 
is  a  home  and  not  a  business  establishment. 

The  following  table  shows  the  production  of  crops  in  the 
county  in  19 lo  as  compared  with  the  output  for  the  state.  It 
should  be  noted  that  only  in  the  production  of  tobacco  is  the 
output  greater  per  acre  than  the  state  average.  Scientific  farm- 
ing should  change  this  record. 


A  RURAL  LIFE  SURVEY  OF  CLERMONT  COUNTY 


49 


TABLE  XXIII 
Production  of  Crops 


Corn  .  . 
Oats  .  .  . 
Wheat .  . 
Rye  ... 
Potatoes 
Tobacco 
Timothy 
Clover  ,  . 
Alfalfa. 


Acres 

Bushels 

Per  A. 

Per  A. 
for  Ohio 

48,250 

1,434,749 

29.8 

42.5 

6,790 

158,288 

23-3 

32.7 

14,524 

212,409 

14.6 

16.8 

2,424 

33,995 

14.0 

14.0 

2,123 

i8i'o84 

85.3 

95.6 

4,353 

4,304,464  lbs. 

988.8 

832.1 

3i,iiJ 

32,648   T. 

1.05 

1.2 

3,090 

3,406   T. 

I.I 

1-3 

1,264 

2,619   T. 

2.0 

2.5 

The  chief  source  of  income  for  years  was  tobacco.  There 
were  a  few  acres  of  tobacco  raised  on  each  farm.  This  brought 
in  an  income  sufficient  to  maintain  the  family  for  the  year. 
The  farmer  raised  corn  or  wheat,  garden  vegetables  or  fruit 
incidentally.  The  tobacco  always  received  first  attention.  The 
manure  was  placed  on  the  few  acres  to  be  put  into  tobacco.  The 
remainder  of  the  farm  seldom  was  fertilized.  Thus  the  farm  was 
slowly  mined.  Very  little  commercial  fertilizer  has  been  used  in 
past  years,  although  now  in  the  plateau  and  central  sections  a 
few  farmers  are  beginning  to  use  it  to  a  small  extent.  In  the 
river  section  many  small  farmers  still  depend  altogether  on  to- 
bacco for  a  living,  but  in  the  other  sections  general  farming  has 
been  substituted  and  tobacco  is  onh^  one  of  the  sources  of  reve- 
nue. A  few  farmers  are  making  a  specialt}^  of  trucking,  dairy- 
ing, or  fruit  farming.  The  central  section  has  many  young  or- 
chards started.  However,  some  one  is  needed  to  show  just  how 
to  take  care  of  a  fruit  orchard.  In  spite  of  the  state  law  making 
spraying  obligatory,  in  only  a  few  cases  has  spraying  been 
done.  A  few  have  made  the  feeding  of  hogs  a  specialty.  Prac- 
tically none  of  the  corn  raised  is  shipped  out.  The  only  coopera- 
tion among  farmers  is  found  in  shipping  hogs.  In  and  around 
Pike  and  Williamsburg  townships,  if  one  farmer  does  not  have 
enough  hogs  to  warrant  a  shipment,  he  gets  some  of  his 
neighbors  to  ship  with  him.     All  over   the  county    the  farmers 

R  S  [4] 


50  MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 

either  haul  their  hogs  to  the  cit}^  or  ship  them  themselves. 
Clermont  County  is  certain  in  the  near  future  to  attract  men 
contemplating  going  into  the  fruit,  dairy,  or  truck  business.  It 
has  the  following  advantages  for  each: 

FRUIT 

1.  Proximity  to  market. 

2.  Ease  of  marketing  because  of  system  of  trolley  lines. 

3.  Cincinnati  as  a  market  is  large  enough  to  consume  all  the 
fruit  produced  in  the  county.  No  danger  of  overstocking  the 
market. 

4.  Climatic  conditions  are  favorable. 

5.  Topography  is  such  that  the  fruit  trees  are  protected  from 
winds,  etc.  as  well  as,  if  not  better  than  in  any  other  part  of  the 
state. 

6.  Limestone  soil  makes  good  fruit  soil. 

7.  Small  capitalization  is  needed  because  of  the  low  priced 
land.  The  best  farms  sell  at  from  $50  to  $75  an  acre.  Every 
foot  of  the  hills  can  be  utilized  in  fruit  raising. 

DAIRY 

1.  The  hills  afford  good  blue  grass  pasturage,  leaving  little 
waste  land. 

2.  The  valle3\s  of  the  farm  are  fertile  and  can  supply  the 
grains  and  feed. 

3.  Alfalfa  has  been  proved  at  the  experiment  farm  and  b}^ 
private  owners  to  grow  both  on  the  hillsides  and  in  the  valleys. 

4.  Small  capitalization  because  of  cheap  land. 

5.  Protection  from  cold  winds  etc.  because  of  the  topography. 

6.  Near  to  demand. 

7.  Ease  of  marketing. 

TRUCK    FARMING 

1.  The  one  great  advantage,  proximit}'  to  market,  over- 
shadows the  disadvantage  of  a  seemingly  infertile  soil. 

2.  Cheap   lands. 

3.  Ease  of  marketing. 


A  RURAL  LIFE  SURVEY  OF  CLERMONT  COUNTY  51 

4.  There  is  considerable  river  bottom  land  now  lying  idle   or 
in  tobacco  that  would  make  fertile  truck  farms. 

Postqffices.  —Before  the  days  of  rural  free  delivery  Clermont 
County  had  59  postoifices,  one  wherever  there  was  a  country 
store.  There  are  465  square  miles  or  297 ,  650  acres  in  the  county, 
making  one  postoffice  to  every  eight  square  miles.  However, 
twenty-two  of  these  have  been  closed  within  the  last  ten  or 
fifteen  years,  leaving  37  postoffices  or  one  postoffice  to  every 
13  square  miles.  Greene  County,  which  is  perhaps  an  average 
county,  has  one  postoffice  for  every  32  square  miles.  Clermont 
County  is  served  by  33  rural  carriers.  In  several  instances 
where  there  is  a  postoffice  a  rural  carrier  drives  through  the 
village.  The  village  could  be  served  by  the  rural  carrier,  re- 
ceiving better  service  and  at  the  same  time  saving  the  post- 
master's salary  of  $100.00  a  year.  Union  township,  with  a 
population  of  1,695  i^  1910,  without  an  incorporated  village, 
has  postoffices  at  Summerside,  Glenrose,  Gleneste,  Mt.  Car- 
mel,  Withamsville,  Tobasco,  and  Mervin.  A  rural  carrier  from 
Amelia  goes  through  Mervin,  Withamsville,  and  Tobasco. 
One  from  Batavia  goes  through  Summerside  and  Gleneste  and 
within  a  mile  of  Glenrose  and  Mt.  Carmel.  A  route  from  Mil- 
ford  goes  through  Mt.  Carmel.  All  seven  villages  could  be 
served  by  these  three  lines,  saving  $100.00  a  year  for  each  vil- 
lage besides  making  the  work  of  the  mail  clerks  easier.  Sum- 
merside circulated  a  petition  almost  universally  signed  peti- 
tioning the  U.  S.  Postal  Dept.  to  abandon  the  postoffice  at 
that  village,  because  they  could  get  better  service  from  the 
rural  carriers.  However,  for  reasons  unknown  to  the  vil- 
lagers, the  petition  was  not  granted. 

POPULATION  AND  NATIONALITY 

The  population  of  the  county  has  decreased  for  each  decade 
since  1880.  The  total  decrease  since  1880  has  been  7162.  This 
decrease  has  been  principally  in  the  open  countrj^;  the  villages 
have  been  able  to  hold  their  own  in  population. 

Only  two  townships,  Miami  and  Tate,  increased  in  population 


52 


MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 


during  the  past  census  decade.  Their  increase  is  due  to  the 
growth  of  the  principal  villages,  Milford  and  Bethal  respectively. 
The  country  population  in  every  township  has  decreased.  New 
Richmond,  the  largest  village  of  the  county,  in  1890  had  a 
population  of  2,379;  in  191  o  it  had  1,733 — a  loss  of  646.  Batavia, 
the  county  seat,  in  the  last  decade  increased  its  population  by  4. 

TABLE  XXIV 

NaTIONAIvITY 


Year 

White 

Negro 

Foreign  born  White 

1910 

1900 

1890 

28.685 
30,428 
30,043 

865 
1,183 
1,510 

1,052 
1.330 

The  population  of  Clermont  County  is  in  general  becoming 
more  homogeneous.  In  one  or  two  sections  of  the  county  the 
proportion  of  foreign  population  is  much  larger,  but  this  is  char- 
acteristic of  but  a  small  portion  of  the  county.  The  colored  popu- 
lation is  also  absolutely  and  relatively  decreasing.  Increasing 
homogeneit}'  is  a  favorable  tendency  from  a  social  point  of  view. 

SOCIAL  AND  RECREATIONAL  LIFE 

Clermont  County  at  one  time  was  well  adapted  to  social 
life.  It  had  a  social  center  within  tw^o  miles  distance  of  every 
farm.  The  farmers  gathered  there  evenings  to  do  their  buying 
and  get  their  mail  and  would  sit  around  a  while  discussing  topics 
of  the  day.  The  introduction  of  rural  free  delivery  has  changed 
conditions  so  that  the  farmer  now  has  no  reason  for  going  to  the 
village  store;  therefore  he  sta3^s  at  home  to  read  the  daih'  paper. 

The  excellent  electric  and  steam  railway  connections  with 
Cincinnati  make  it  possible  for  the  young  people  to  go  there  to 
work,  many  to  live,  many  to  seek  amusement  on  Saturday  and 
Sunday.  This  changes  the  amusement  problem  at  home.  The 
trolley  lines  of  the  central  and  southern  portions  of  the  county 
on  Saturday  nights  are  crowded  to  overflowing.  Many  of  the 
young  people  look  to   the   the    city    for    amusement    altogether. 


A  RURAIv  IvIFE  SURVEY  OF  CLERMONT  COUNTY 


53 


The  boys  come  to  the  village,  hitch  their  horses,  and  take  the 
trolley  for  the  city.  This  lessens  the  social  influence  of  the  village 
and  the  country  community. 

The  schools  are  not  centers  of  social  life,  as  they  once  were. 
Thirty-one  schools  report  having  a  total  of  41  entertainments, 
eight  of  them  not  having  any.  However,  it  must  be  understood 
that  perhaps  two-thirds  of  these  were  afternoon  entertainments 
on  some  special  holiday.  Three  spelling  schools  and  one  box 
social  are  reported.  All  others  were  programs  for  Christmas, 
last  day.  Thanksgiving,  Arbor  Day,  or  some  other  holiday. 

The  various  lodges  show  that  the  people  do  not  care  much 
for  the  social  life  furnished  through  them.  Of  the  42  lodges 
reporting,  24  are  increasing  and  18  are  decreasing.  It  seems 
difficult  to  maintain  interest  in  their  meetings  and  it  seems  that 
if  it  were  not  for  financial  benefits  derived  from  them,  farmers 
would  not  become  or  remain  members.  At  Ow^ensville  the  Odd 
Fellows  and  Masons  both  have  about  one-half  farmer  membership. 
For  four  years  they  removed  "benefits."  Nearh^  all  the  farmers 
dropped  out  and  at  present  the  two  lodges  are  very  weak.  They 
have  again  inserted  the  "benefit"  clause  hoping  thereby  to  draw 
the  farmers  back  into  the  lodge.  The  reasons  given  for  the 
decreasing  membership  were  usually  lack  of  interest,  or  that 
those  once  interested  have  moved  away.  The  average  member- 
ship of  the  organizations  in  the  community  ranges  from  29  to  68. 
The  average  attendance  ranges  from  9  to  26.  Man}^  organizations 
frequently  cannot  hold  meetings  because  there  is  no  quorum 
present. 

The  church  takes  a  decided  stand  on  many  of  the  forms  of 
social  activity,  doing  little  to  provide  social  life  and  at  the  same 
time  condemning  w^hat  exists.  Two  ministers  opposed  baseball 
as  a  form  of  amusement  because,  they  said,  it  w^ould  draw  the 
young  people  away  from  the  church — making  them  indifferent, 
and  because  they  ought  to  be   earning  money  instead  of  playing. 

All  ministers  oppose  Sunday  baseball,  because,  the}^  say,  it  is 
a  breaking  of  the  Sabbath.  However,  they  have  done  little  to 
have  baseball  during  the  w^eek.  One  Methodist  minister  has 
organized  a  team  and    superintends  their  games,  having  a  game 


54 


MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 


ever}^  other  Saturday  during  the  summer.  Sunda)^  baseball  is 
prevalent  all  over  the  county.  Where  opposition  is  too  strong, 
the  young  boys  go  elsewhere  to  attend  games  or  to  play  games. 
Some  of  the  teams  are  not  allowed  to  play  at  home.  There  are 
15  teams  in  the  county.  Two  of  these  play  on  Saturday,  one  at 
AmeHa  once  in  two  weeks  under  the  auspices  of  the  M.  E. 
church,  and  one  at  Milford.  Thirteen  play  on  Sunday  afternoon. 
Three  of  these  always  play  away  from  home;  ten  teams  are  al- 
lowed to  play  at  home. 

The  players  would  like  to  play  on  Saturday  but  cannot  be- 
cause they  have  to  work.  Bethel  Sunday  Schools  last  year  voted 
not  to  attend  any  games  played  on  Sunday,  and  thereby  drove 
the  teams  to  play  away  from  home.  This  year  they  are  again 
making  a  fight  against  Sunday  playing.  Felicit}'  and  Batavia 
have  no  teams  but  the  young  boys  and  older  ones  leave  town  to 
seek  amusement  elsewhere.  Where  the  churches  are  too  weak  to 
oppose  them,  they  play  every  Sunday.  Owensville  has  had  Sun- 
day baseball  for  years.  At  Edenton  it  is  said  that  on  Sunday 
afternoon  nearh^  everyone  goes,  church  people  as  well  as  non- 
church  members.     They  have  had  Sunday  baseball  for  3'ears. 

Motion  pictures  are  opposed  b}^  1 5  ministers  and  favored  by 
8.  A  number  of  ministers  and  church  officers  said  that  some  are 
good  but  all  must  be  condemned,  because  people  cannot  choose 
and  again  because  people  get  the  habit.  There  are  six  such 
shows  in  the  county.  Everywhere  they  are  well  attended  in  spite 
of  opposition.  At  Williamburg  the  pictures  are  of  such  low 
standard  that  the  business  people  and  high  school  pupils  do  not 
attend.  Nevertheless  this  town  of  948  population  supports  two 
shows,  more  than  any  other  village  in  the  county.  At  Batavia 
different  groups  of  the  population  attend  different  shows. 

At  Bethel  the  boys'  Niagara  Club,  under  the  leadership  of  the 
cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank,  has  a  moving  picture  show 
in  the  Baptist  church  twice  a  week.  Each  one  of  the  25  members 
sells  10  tickets  to  insure  the  cost  of  having  the  show.  The  pro- 
ceeds go  to  the  club.  The  best  pictures  available  are  secured 
yet  they  have  many  of  the  church  people   to   contend    with.     In 


A  RURAL  IvIFE  SURVEY  OF  CLERMONT  COUNTY  55 

all  incorporated  villages  the  manager  of  a  moving  picture  show 
has  to  pay  a  license  varying  from  $8  a  month  to  $3  a  night. 

Home  talent  plays  were  considered  harmful  to  a  community 
b}^  3  ministers,  while  22  saw  no  harm  in  them.  The  3  ministers 
gave  for  their  reasons  that  such  plays  are  frivolous  and  detract 
from  the  church,  and  one  minister  said  it  broke  up  his  revival 
meetings  last  winter.  However,  not  more  than  10  home  talent 
plays  were  given  in  the  county  last  year,  and  those  were  usually 
to  raise  money    for  the  support  of  the  church. 

Armory,   Batavia,  Ohio. 


i 

.  m^ 

h 

* 

A  Useful  Social  Center. 

Dancing  is  opposed  by  church  people  generally  all  over  the 
county.  It  was  considered  harmful  by  28  ministers  and  not 
harmful  by  3.  One  minister  differentiated  between  home  and 
public  dances  saying  that  home  dances  are  not  harmful  if 
chaperoned.  In  some  communities  there  are  not  enough  young 
people  left  for  dances.     Goshen  Township  has  had  no  dances  in 


56  MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 

recent  years.  The  southern  half  of  the  county  is  verj^  strongly 
opposed  to  dancing.  No  dances  have  been  held  there  outside 
of  Felicity, ^Moscow,  and  New  Richmond.  Batavia  has  an  armory 
which  is  used  for  a  dance  hall,  and  a  dance  to  which  all  classes  pu 
is  held  there  at  least  once  a  month.  In  Jackson  and  Stonelick 
townships  dances  are  more  frequent.  The  church  leaders  are 
strongly  opposed  as  a  rule  but  the  membership  has  largely  taken 
to  dancing,  except  in  the  territory-  where  the  old  Wesleyan  ideas 
are  strong. 

Many  of  the  3^oung  people  go  to  Coney  Island  near  Cincin- 
nati for  dancing  and  other  amusement  in  the  summer.  Highland 
Park  is  frequented  by  dancing  parties.  The  northern  part  of  the 
county  has  a  dance  hall  at  Woodland  Park. 

Card  playing  was  considered  harmful  by  29  ministers  and 
helpful  or  unharmful  by  one  minister.  The  active  church 
people  all  seemed  very  strongly  opposed  to  this  form  of  amuse- 
ment. Throughout  the  county  there  are  small  groups  of  clubs 
which  have  card  parties  at  regular  stated  times — one  or  two  a 
month.     These  are  found  only  in  villages. 

Church  socials  in  any  form  are  considered  harmful  by 
4  ministers  and  helpful  by  24.  Many  of  these,  however,  differ- 
entiated between  a  free  church  social  and  one  the  object  of  which 
is  to  raise  money  for  the  church.  There  were  only  a  few  of  the 
former.  The  churches  of  Clermont  County  spent  $40  for  church 
socials,  raising  by  them  $3441  for  the  support  of  the  church. 
People  seem  to  be  tired  of  them — there  are  socials  to  raise  money 
for  the  churches,  for  the  schools,  for  the  libraries,  as  well  as  for 
other  enterprises,  such  as  baseball  teams  and  orchestras.  Three 
churches  had  socials  in  which  the  members  provided  the  refresh- 
ments at  their  own  expense  in  order  that  the  social  might  be 
free  to  all.  These  socials  are  well  attended  and  a  good  spirit 
prevails. 

The  eleven  pool  rooms  in  the  county  are  patronized  mosth  by 
the  3'oung  people  of  the  villages.  22  ministers  were  opposed  to 
them  and  4  favored  them.  Parents  active  in  church  work  in  most 
instances  opposed  pool  as  a  form  of  amusement  because  there  by 
the  young  boys  are  thrown  into  bad  company  and  learn  bad  habits. 


A  RURAL  LIFE  SURVEY  OF  CLERMONT  COUNTY 


57 


Nearly  all  these  pool  rooms  had  some  special  closing  time.  The 
pool  room  at  Batavia  frequently  was  open  until  midnight  or  later. 
At  Mt.  Carmel  the  proprietor  said  that  he  had  kept  open  until 
three  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  night  before  he  was  interviewed^ 
He  closed  whenever  the  customers  went.  In  some  instances  no  one 
under  i8  years  of  age  is  allowed  to  play.  In  Amelia  no  one 
under  i6  years  of  age  is  admitted.  In  several  of  the  incorporated 
villages  a  license  must  be  paid  and  the  manager  must  comply 
with  regulations  made  by  the  council. 

House  parties  as  a  form  of  amusement  were  favored  by  27 
ministers  and  opposed  by  2.  These  two  claim  that  it  is  a  loss  of 
time  and  that  it  is  a  method  by  which  the  world  draws  young 
people  from  the  church.  House  parties  exclusive  of  dancing 
parties  are  not  frequent. 

Singing  schools,  though  favored  by  all  the  ministers,  are  not 
in  existence  in  the  county. 

Literary  societies  were  not  opposed  by  ministers  but  none 
were  found. 

There  are  no  theaters  in  the  county  but  many  of  the  wealth- 
ier class  and  professional  men  of  the  villages  go  to  Cincinnati 
to  the  theaters,  having  to  stay  there  all  night.  Many  others 
would  go  were  it  not  for  expense  and  time.  The  cars  do  not  run 
so  they  can  return  the  same  night. 

There  were  10  visiting  circuses  in  the  county  with  an  average 
attendance  of  240.  The  circus  is  opposed  by  12  ministers  and 
favored  by  13. 

Agricultural  fairs  are  favored  by  all  ministers  and  church 
people  generally.  The  southern  part  of  the  county  is  not  well 
represented  at  the  fair.  Some  do  not  know  there  is  one  in  the 
county.  It  is  difficult  for  them  to  get  there.  The  northern  and 
central  part  of  the  county  are  well  represented .  It  is  the  social  event 
of  the  year.  The  girls  have  special  dresses  made  for  the  occasion 
and  look  forward  to  it  for  weeks.  It  is  distinctly  social:  many  go 
there  to  meet  people  that  they  know  and  have  not  seen  since  the 
last  fair.  Incidentally  they  look  at  the  exhibits,  but  that  is  not 
what  draws  them.     The  races,  however,  are  a  great  attraction. 


58 


MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 


Tennis  and  croquet  are  indorsed  by  all  ministers  who  were 
interviewed.  However,  only  two  public  courts  and  one  or  two 
private  courts  are  found  in  the  county. 

Picnics  are  favored  by  all  ministers  and  are  quite  common. 
Franklin,  Washington,  and  Ohio  townships  have  each  a  township 
Sunday  School  picnic  once  a  year.  This  is  well  attended  by  both 
Sunday  School  pupils  and  others.  The  Franklin  township  picnic 
has  a  program  in  the  afternoon  of  music  and  speeches.     Forty 


A  Progressive  Boys'  Club,  Bethel,  Ohio. 

Sunday  Schools  had  a  Sunday  School  picnic  within  the  year  and 
54  had  none.  There  are  many  class  and  private  picnics,  such  as 
family  reunions. 

The  young  boys  of  the  village  of  Bethel  have  been  organ- 
ized into  a  club  very  similar  to  the  Boy  Scouts.  The  boys 
range  in  age  from  12  to  15.  There  are  25  members,  each  one 
present  at  the  meetings  held  once  a  month  for  an  hour  and  a  half. 
The  social  meetings  are  held  in  the  homes  of  their  parents  by 
turns.     Each  one  must  attend  Sunday  School;    two   successive 


A  RURAIv  LIFE  vSURVEY  OF  CLERMONT  COUNTY  59 

absences  result  in  a  fine  of  10  cents  unless  a  very  good  ex- 
cuse is  given.  The  dues  start  with  one  cent,  increasing  one  cent 
each  week  until  the  end  of  the  first  half  of  the  year  when  they 
start  with  one  cent  again.  Not  one  has  fallen  behind  in  dues. 
It  encourages  them  to  earn  money  and  to  save.  The  leader  gets 
work  for  them  to  do.  They  rent  vacant  lots  to  raise  vegatables, 
the  boys  doing  the  work  and  selling  the  produce,  the  proceeds  be- 
longing to  the  club.  They  have  a  motion  picture  show  in  a 
vacant  room  of  the  Baptist  church.  Each  boy  sells  10  tickets 
to  cover  expenses.  They  do  their  own  advertising.  They  col- 
lect papers  to  sell  and  turn  the  proceeds  over  to  the  treasurer  of 
the  club. 

In  the  winter  they  have  a  club  room  for  a  reading  room. 
Sunday  afternoon  they  meet  there  for  games  and  reading.  They 
have  taken  several  short  walking  trips.  On  one  occasion  they 
walked  to  Cincinnati,  taking  the  train  for  the  return  trip.  They 
have  raised  about  $400  in  seven  months  with  which  they  intend 
to  take  a  trip  to  Niagara  Falls.  The  railroad  company  has 
granted  them  half-fare  rates.  The  National  Bank  of  Cleveland 
has  agreed  to  entertain  them  for  a  day.  The  churches  of  Detroit 
will  entertain  them  while  in  Detroit.  The  boys  are  all  working 
together  and  are  very  much  interested  in  all  they  are  doing  for 

the  club. 

The  county  has  one  Chautauqua.  It  is  centrally  located  and 
can  be  reached  with  little  difficulty,  yet  it  is  supported  only  by 
the  people  of  Batavia  village.  It  has  been  in  existence  for  five  or 
six  3  ears.  Boating  and  swimming  are  features.  The  main  fea- 
ture is  the  program. 

Two  villages  in  the  county  have  the  boys  organized  as  boy 
scouts.     In  both  cases  the  plan  seems  to  be  successful. 

Social  Hfe  is  lacking.  People  talk  of  the  social  life  of  the  past, 
but  with  changed  conditions  they  have  done  nothing  to  change 
social  amusments.  Church  people  have  opposed  nearly  all  forms 
of  amusement  yet  they  do  little  to  substitute  healthful  recrea- 
tion   or  superintend  those  in  existence. 


RELIGIOUS  LIFE 

The  religious  life  of  Clermont  County  represents  certain 
influences  and  conditions  which  typify  a  number  of  the  most 
fundamental  problems  facing  the  rural  community  at  the  present 
time.  Proximit,v  to  Cincinnati,  one  of  the  large  cities  of  the 
state,  an  unusual  number  of  villages,  a  topography  that  has 
prevented  development  of  adequate  means  of  communication,  and 
a  retarded  development  of  the  industrial  resources  of  the  county 
have  all  cooperated  to  prevent  that  constructive  coordination  of 
efforts  at  progress  so  much  needed.  The  churches  of  the  county 
have  felt  the  deteriorating  influences  present  in  the  social  life  as 
well  as  have  other  social  institutions  and  are  to-day  facing  con- 
ditions that  demand  immediate  attention. 

The  first  condition  that  presents  itself  is  the  unfavor- 
able adjustment  of  the  church  plants  in  the  community  to 
community  needs.  A  total  of  1 1 7  churches  was  found.  Forty-two 
of  these  are  located  in  incorporated  towns  and  75  in  unincorporated 
tow^is  or  in  the  open  country.  This  total  number  of  churches  is 
equivalent  to  one  church  for  each  253  inhabitants.  The  106 
Protestant  churches  reported  a  total  seating  capacity  of  27,845,  or 
an  average  of  262  per  church.  If  the  seating  capacity  of  the 
seven  Catholic  churches  is  added,  the  facilities  for  seating  29,550 
inhabitants  of  the  county  are  found  to  be  ample.  The  situation 
is  such,  however,  that  in  a  number  of  instances  the  welfare  of  the 
community  would  be  better  conserved  if  the  smaller  churches 
should  unite  their  energies  in  a  common  plant  with  a  large  seating 
capacity.  The  distribution  of  churches  as  shown  by  the  follow- 
ing map  indicates  that  the  situation  could  be  materially  improved 
by  the  abandonment  of  at  least  half  of  the  existing  plants  and 
the  consolidation  of  effort  into  increasing  the  efficiency  of  the  re- 
maining ones. 

A  few  specific  illustrations  of  the  need  of  reorganization  may 
be  suggested.     At  Monterey,  in  the  eastern  part  of  the   county, 

[60] 


Church  Map,   Clermont  Cou 


M 


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x\ 

MP_ 

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me: 
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For  Explanation  See  Church  Map  Green  Counly. 


62  MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 

are  located  a  Presbyterian  and  a  Christian  Church.  Within  one 
and  a  half  miles  of  these  two  churches  are  a  Methodist  Episcopal 
and  another  Presb3^terian  Church.  The  total  membership  of  the 
four  churches  is  211  and  the  four  churches  are  pa3dng  four  ab- 
sentee pastors  a  total  salary  of  $975  in  addition  to  the  expense  of 
maintaining  four  church  buildings.  The  Christian  Church  is 
now  in  process  of  erecting  a  new  building.  The  members  of 
these  churches  are  neighbors  and  cooperate  in  many  of  the  activi- 
ties of  community  life.  In  religion  they  are  divided.  There 
appears  to  be  no  reason  why  this  should  be  so. 

A  similar  situation  exists  at  Withamsville.  Here  four 
churches  representing  a  total  membership  of  140  pay  $375  to 
absentee  ministers.  All  churches  have  been  losing  members 
during  the  past  10  years. 

At  Mulberr}'  is  a  Methodist  Church  of  26  members  and  at 
Pleasant  Hill,  one  mile  away,  is  another  church  of  the  same 
denomination  with  32  members.  Unnecessarj'  duplication  ap- 
pears to  exist  at  Amelia,  Batavia,  Point  Isabel,  Goshen,  Edenton, 
Miamiville,   Mt.  Carmel,  Felicity,  Cedron,  and  other  points. 

Seventeen  denominations  are  represented  by  the  117  churches 
as  follows:  Methodist  Episcopal,  47;  Christian  (New  Eight, 
Christian  Union,  Disciples),  20;  Presbyterian,  14;  Catholic,  7; 
Baptist,  7;  Old  Order  German,  i;  Baptist,  Missionary,  i;  United 
Brethren  3;  United  Brethren,  German  2;  Universalist,  2;  Holi- 
ness, 2;  Evangelical,  i:  Brethren,  (Conservative),  i;  Methodist 
Protestant,  i;  International  Bible  Students  Association,  1;  M. 
E.  (Colored),  4;  Baptist  (Colored),  3;  Of  these,  81  or  69  per 
cent,  belong  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal,  Christian,  and  Presby- 
terian denominations.  The  presence  of  a  number  of  small  con- 
gregations of  different  denominotions  indicates  independent 
tendencies  and  to  some  extent  unstable  religious  conditions  in 
certain  classes  of  the  population. 

Another  condition  brought  out  by  the  map  (see  p.  6  r )  is  the 
relation  of  the  ministers  to  their  respective  charges.  Of  the  67 
minister  serving  the  county,  34  live  out  side  the  county.  The  lines 
connecting  several  churches  with  the  residence  of  the  minister 
showthat  in  many  cases  the  pastor  has  from  three  to  six  scattered 


A  RURAL  LIFE  SURVEY  OF  CLERMONT  COUNTY 


63 


charges  to  serve;  that  at  Withamsville,  Newtonsville,  Monterey, 
Maple  Grove,  Bantam,  Point  Isabel,  Neville,  Mt.  Carmel,  Rural, 
Cedron,  and  Nichollsville  are  groups  of  churches  none  of  which 
have  resident  pastors.  The  dark  squares  do  not  tell  the  whole 
story  of  dead  churches,  as  many  have  been  abandoned  or  consoli- 
dated in  the  course  of  the  history  of  the  county. 

Statistics  as  to  membership  in  the  churches  indicate  the 
tendency  in  the  church  life  of  the  county.  The  statistics  gathered 
represent  the  best  information  available.  Some  records  still 
carry  the  names  of  those  long  since  removed  to  other  communi- 
ties or  whose  active  affiliation  with  the  church  has  ceased. 
The  attempt  was  made  to  get  as  accurate  figures  as  possible, 
figures  that  represented  the  best  judgment  of  the  proper  church 
official.  The  following  tables  will  show  tendencies  as  to  church 
membership.  Of  112  churches  for  which  data  as  to  increase  or 
decrease  in  membershp  were  obtained,  24,  or  21.4  per  cent, 
were  increasing;  78,  or  69.6  per  cent,  were  decreasing;  and  9 
per  cent,   were  stationary. 


LOSING  i;A|;y 

ground'^''/" 

STANDING  Qc^ 
STILL  ^^° 

GROWING 

21.4^ 


These  results,  however,  are  not  conclusive  because  there  has 
been  a  general  decrease  in  population  in  the  county  and  the  de- 
crease in  church  membership  might  be  a  normal  accompaniment 
of  decrease  in  population.  Data  collected  from  two  sources  as  to 
church  membership  prove  that  the  decline  in  church  membership 
particularly  in  the  open  country  churches  is  more  rapid  than  the 
decrease  in  population.  During  the  investigation  it  was  possible 
in  a  number  of  cases  to  secure  data  of  membership  of  churches 
ten  years  ago,  five  years  ago,  and  at  the  present  time.  A  histor}'  of 
Clermont  County  compiled  in  1880  gave  also  the  membership  of 


64 


MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 


a  number  of  churches  for  that  period.     The  following  table  shows 
the  results. 

TABLE    XXV 

Church  Growth 


Item 

1880 

1900 

1910 

Per  cent. 
Decrease 
1880-19T0 

Per  cent. 
Decrease 
1900-1910 

Population     

Church  member- 
ship 52  churches.. 

26  countr}^ 
churches 

26  village  churches 

56  churches 

30  countrj^ 
churches 

26  village  churches 

36713 

5632 

2152 
3480 
5592 

31610 

2308 
3284 

29551 
4646 

1269 

3377 
4975 

1776 
3199 

19  5 
17  5 

41.0 
30 



6.5 

II  .0 

23.0 
2  .0 

The   Open  Country  Church  Going.    Last  Ten  Years' 
Records  Most  Serious. 
1880-1910 
Decrease  in  pop- 


ulation.  19.5*5^0 

Decrease  in 

membership. 

5?  churches  17% 

26    Village 

churches,  3^ 

26    Country 
churches,  41^ 


1900-1010 
Decrease  in  pop- 
ulation ,  6.5% 
Decrease  in 
membership  56 
churches,    11% 

26   Village 
churches,    2^ 

30  Country 
churches,    23% 


Shall  we   Revive  the   Open  Country   Church  or  Abandon 
it  for  the  Village  Church  ? 


A  RURAL  LIFE  SURVEY  OF  CLERMONT  COUNTY 


65 


While  the  total  number  of  churches  for  which  data  were 
obtained  have  more  than  held  their  own  in  the  period  1880- 19 10, 
this  condition  has  been  due  to  the  vitality  of  the  congregations  lo- 
cated in  villages.  The  open  country  churches  have  declined  more 
than  twice  as  fast  as  the  decrease  of  population.  Since  1900,  the 
churches  for  which  data  were  available  have  declined  nearly 
twace  as  rapidl}^  as  the  decrease  of  population.  A  discrepancy  of 
three  years  from  19 10,  the  census  year,  to  19 13,  the  date  of  in- 
vestigation, is  not  sufficient  seriously  to  invalidate  the  result. 
The  26  village  churches  again  demonstrate  their  vitality  by  show- 
ing a  rate  of  decline  slower  than  that  of  the  general  population. 

77  churches  reported  both  total  membership  and  number  of 
families  represented.  These  77  chtirches  had  a  total  of  3503 
members  and  represented  2320  families,  or  an  average  of  2.37 
members  per  family.  The  size  of  the  average  family  in  Clermont 
County  according  to  the  U.  S.  Census  of  1 910  is  3.77. 

Attention  should  be  given  to  the  large  number  of  churches 
with  very  small  membership  in  the  county.  The  following  table 
shows  the  distribution  as  to  membership: 

TABLE  XXVI 
Church  Membership 


Membership 


Under 

20  to 

30  to^ 

40  to 

50  to 

60  to 

70  to 

80  to 

90  to 

100  to 

125  to 

150  to 

175  to 

200  or 


20  .  . 
29.., 
J9-  • 
49  • 
59.  • 
69  . 
79  • 
89.., 

99 

124.  . 
149.  . 
174.  . 
199  . 
above 


No.  churches 


Total 


9 
10 
II 

9 
8 

13 

7 
3 
6 

4 
6 

.S 
2 
8 

01 


R  S  [  5  ] 


66 


MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 


Tliirt3^-nine  churches,  or  38.6  per  cent,  have  a  membership 
of  under  50  each.  Nineteen  have  a  membership  of  under  30  each. 
Nine  have  under  20.  Of  the  no  Protestant  churches,  108  re- 
ported present  membership  as  8561.  If  we  estimate  the  mem- 
bership of  the  seven  Catholic  Churches  at  1000  more,  based 
on  the  number  of  families  represented,  we  have  a  total  of 
9560  members.  This  number  constitutes  less  than  53  t.he  total 
population  of  the  county.  Eighty-one  churches  reported  a  part 
of  their  membership  under  21  years  of  age.  or  a  total  of  1008. 
The  others  reported  no  members  under  21  years  of  age.  This  is 
1 1.7  per  cent,  of  the  total  membership  reported  b\  the  several 
churches.  Of  the  total  population  of  Clermont  County  in  1910, 
1 1 ,040  or  37.3  per  cent,  were  under  21  years  of  age.  Of  the  total 
population,  ig. 8  per  cent,  are  between  the  ages  of  10  and  21. 
The  evidence  is  that  the  proportion  of  the  church  members  under 
21  years  of  age  or  during  the  critical  period  of  affiliating  with 
the  church  is  not  keeping  pace  with  the  population. 

This  conclusion  is  further  verified  b}-  data  secured  as  to  ages 
of  members  of  churches  in  Clermont  Count^^  Estimated  ages 
were  secured  from  persons  in  the  respective  communties  who  were 
well  acquainted  with  the  church  membership,  with  the  following 
results: 

TABLE  XXVII 


Age 

Under  21 

21  to  29 

30  to  49 

50  and  over 

Total       


Per  Cent. 


Over  70  per  cent  of  the  membership  of  the  churches  studied 
were  thirty  j^ears  of  age  and  over.  The  evidence  from  this  in- 
vestigation as  well  as  from  previous  studies^  is  that  the  problem 
of  church  growth  has  not  yet  been  solved.     Normally  a  much 

1  Rural  Survey  in  Southwestern  Ohio.  p.  47. 


A  RURAIv  IvIFE  SURVEY  OF  CLERMONT  COUNTY 


67 


larger    proportion  of  the   church  membership   should  be  under 
thirty  years  of  age. 

Where  are  the  Young  Peopi^e?    Age  Record  of  371  i  Church 
Members,   Ci^ermont  County 


29.8%  Church 
membersunder3o 

51.8%  Population 
of  Ohio  under  30 

398  Records  of  age 
of  joining  church, 
Clermont  county. 

94%  Period 
under  30 


77.5%  under  21 


i 


Approximately   50(^0   of  the  Church  Mempership  should  be  under 

30  years  of  age.     What  will  the  church  of  the  future    be  unless 

the  church  now  reaches  its  Young  People? 

The  suggestion  has  been  made  that  this  abnormal  condition 
might  be  accounted  for  by  the  exodus  of  young  people  from  the 
country  to  the  cities.  This  would  not  account  for  all  unfavorable 
conditions. 

The  data  as  to  church  attendance  are  based  on  the  estimates 
of  pastors  or  of  church  members  acquainted  with  the  usual  at- 
tendance.    The  record  is  as  follows: 

TABLE  XXVIII 
Average  Attendance 


Time 

No.  Churches 
Reporting 

M 

F 

Total 

A.  M 

P.  M 

Evening    

74 
28 

55 

1315 

314 

1343 

2269 

544 
2024 

3584 
858 

3367 

Total 

2972 

4837 

7809 

68 


MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 


The  probabilities  are  that  in  the  villages  many  duplications 
exist. 

Although  the  tendencies  in  church  membership  indicate  the 
need  of  reorganization  in  the  direction  of  consolidating  and  unit- 
ing efforts  in  religious  hfe,  the  history  of  the  past  ten  years  shows 
that  still  there  is  the  tendency  for  denominations  to  continue 
pushing  denominationalism  regardless  of  community  interest. 
In  that  time  12  churches  have  been  newh'  built  or  remodeled. 
Of  these  four  were  probably  justified.  The  other  eight,  owing 
to  proximity  to  other  churches  and  the  relatively  small  number 
served,  evidently  should  have  been  abandoned  or  never  re- 
organized. Yet,  so  long  as  the  different  denominations  persist  in 
building  denominations  instead  of  communities,  little  can  be 
hoped  for.  The  self  aggrandizing  statesmanship  of  the  churches 
may  ultimately  prove  their  undoing. 

Church  Membership  of  CivErmont  County  Compared  With 
That  of  State  of  Ohio. 


Clermont  County 

327c  belong  to 

church 


State  of  Ohio 
39 7f  belong  to  ■ 
church 


r,  1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1  FTff-— T"-"— -Tift  M    ' ! 
lllllllllllllllllllllllllllilll^ 

IIIIIHIIIIIIIIIIII 

1 1 1 1 1 1  i 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1  Hti4J 

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIM 


Is  Clermont  County  holding  its  own  in  church  membership? 

Having  considered  location  of  churches,  residence  of  pastors, 
and  tendencies  in  church  membership,  we  may  now  note  some- 
thing of  the  physical  condition  of  the  plants  and  their  cost  to  the 
community.  Most  of  the  church  buildings  have  one  room.  Only 
5  reported  kitchens  and  3  reported  dining  rooms.  Many  of  the 
buildings  have  a  separate  Sunday  School  room.  Of  loi  churches 
reporting,  82  or  81  percent,  had  no  toilets.  Only  two  churches 
reported  horse  sheds.  The  condition  of  the  buildings  is  as 
follows: 


A  RURAL  LIFE  SURVEY  OF  CLERMONT  COUNTY 

TABLE  XXIX 

Type  OF  Structure 


69 


Condition 

Brick 

Frame 

Not 
Reported 

Total 

Good      

Fair.    ... 

17 
10 

17 

21 

15 

IG 

8 
2 
6 

46 

71 

Poor 

^1 

33 

Total 

44 

46 

16 

ig6 

Sixty-eight  per  cent,  of  the  buildings  are  reported  in  good 
condition.  Sixty-seven  percent,  of  the  grounds  are  reported  in 
good  or  fair  condition. 

The  data  as  to  average  expenditures  are  as  follows: 

TABLE  XXX 


No.  Churches 
Reporting 

Total 
Value 

Average 

Value  of  buildings 

Value  of  parsonage 

Pastors'  salaries. ........ 

Supervision 

lOI 

22 
98 
52 
84 
97 
36 

93 
76 

75 
57 
17 
13 

$26l,GGG.GG 
37,7GG.GG 
2,522 .OG 
1 ,087 . GG 
3,^098  .  OG 
2,980.00 
3,57400 
3,654    OG 

2,947  OG 

2,641    GO 

3,587    OG 

847. GG 

305-00 

$2,584.00 

1,713.00 

257. CO 

21    OG 

Janitor  service 

Fuel  and  lights 

Repairs 

Sunday  School 

Home  missions 

37  OG 

31    OG 
99.  GG 
39    OG 
S9.OG 

Foreign  missions 

Other  benevolences 

Evangelists 

Other  expenses. 

35  00 
63.  GO 
50.00 

23.  GO 

Total  expenses 

3711 

$48,730.00 

$508.00 

Receipts  are  from  three  principal  sources,  i.  e.  subscriptions; 
collections  at  services,  and  socials.  The  relative  importance  of 
these  different  sources  is  shown  by  the  following  table  of 
averages: 


70 


MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 
XXXI 


Form  of  Income 

Subscriptions 

Collections , 

Socials 

Home  mission. 


No.  Churches 
Reporting 


Total 


Average 


$38,466.00 

5,251.00 

3,492.00 

662.00 


$427.00 

58.00 

73.00 

110.00 


Twelve  churches  reported  some  endowment,  but  the  income 
from  this  source  is  in  no  case  considerable.  The  evidence  is  that 
the  subscription  is  the  principal  source  of  the  support  of  the 
church.  The  cost  of  the  religious  equipment  of  Clermont 
County,  estimated  on  the  basis  of  cost  for  the  churches  reporting, 
is  approximately  as  follows: 

Interest  at  5%  on  $301,328,   value  117  churches $15,066.00 

Interest  at  5%  on  $37,700,    value  22  parsonages 1,885  00 

Operating  expenses,  117    churches 54,436.00 

Total $71,387.00 

The  cost  of  operating  the  churches  in  Clermont  County  at 
approximately  $71,000  per  year  is  equivalent  to  over  $7.00  per 
member.  From  the  financial  point  of  view  alone  it  is  demanded 
that  the  church  situation  be  reorganized  in  order  to  secure  better 
results  at  the  same  cost.  The  evidence  as  to  church  growth 
indicates  that  something  must  be  done  to  turn  the  tide  of  church 
influence  if  the  church  is  to  retain  its  influence  in  community 
life. 

THE     SUNDAY    SCHOOL 

In  98  Sunday  Schools  reporting,  there  were  598  teachers 
engaged.  The  total  enrollment  was  7084  and  the  average  total 
attendance  in  loi  Sunday  Schools  was  4599.  As  compared  with 
the  1 1040  young  people  under  2 1  years  of  age  in  Clermont  County, 
the  total  enrollment  represents  but  64%.  The  fact  is  that  the 
percentage  of  the  total  population  enrolled  in  Sunday  Schools  is 
much  less  because  many  of  the  7084  are  over  21   years  of  age. 

That  the  Sunday  School  is  the  principal  source  for  enlisting 
members  of  the  church  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  378  of  the  554 


A  RURAL  IvIFE  SURVEY  OF  CLERMONT  COUNTY 


71 


who  joined  the  church  last  year  on  confession  came  from  the  Sun- 
day School.  The  annual  revival  period  becomes  the  time  for 
decision. 

Practically  all  the  Sunday  Schools  in  the  county  continue  for 
twelve  months  in  the  3^ear.  Thirt3^-three,  or  33.7  per  cent.,  re- 
ported special  equipment,  such  as  black  boards,  maps,  charts, 
etc.,  while  65  reported  no  special  equipment. 

The  social  life  of  the  Sunday  School  appears  to  be  limited  to 
the  annual  picnic  and  the  Christmas  entertainment,  and  not  all  of 
the  schools  report  even  these.  Forty- three  out  of  99  reported 
one  picnic  and  56  reported  no  picnic.  Fifty-four  out  of  99  report- 
ed a  Christmas  festival.  Thirty-seven  schools  reported  other 
entertainments,  such  as  class  picnics,  box  .socials,  Easter,  Chil- 
dren's Day,  entertainments  and  festivals.  Doubtless  the  work  of 
the  Sunday  School  could  be  enlivened  by  the  addition  of  more 
social  features. 

The  other  activities  of  the  churches  may  be  represented  as 
follows: 

TABLE  XXXI 


Type  of  Activity 

No.  Churches 
Reporting 

Membership 

Average 
Attendance 

Prayer  meeting 

Young  peoples' 

societies .    ... 

Women's  societies.  . . . 

Men's  societies 

Protracted  meetings . . . 

Total  No.  days 

Average  No.  daj^s 
No.  churches  reporting 

converts 

41 

32 
70 
0 
72 
1059 
15 

43 

1734 

1732 

0 

854 

636 

923 
0 

Total  No.  converts.  .  .  . 

5«4 

No.  joining  church .  . 

410 

These  figures  show  that  the  church  service  and  the  Sunday 
school  are  the  principal  agencies  through  which  the  church  renders 
its  service  at  the    present    time.     The    enrollment  and  average 


72^  .  MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 

attendance  in  other  societies  are  comparative!}-  small.  The 
significant  feature  of  church  life  here  as  elsewhere  is  the  absence 
of  men's  organizations. 

Bantam  Presbyterian  Church 


Has  organized  a  lecture  course,  started  a  local  library,  cooperated 

in  starting  a  farmers'    organization,  and  is  meeting 

real  needs  in  community  life. 

The  revival  services  are  still  the  great  agency  for  recruiting 
the  membership  of  the  church.  As  the  revival  is  based  upon  the 
appeal  to  the  individual  for  personal  salvation,  the  evidence  is 
that  the  church  has  not  yet  grasped  the  idea  of  dealing  with  all 
the  forces  for  improvement  available  in  community  life. 


A  RURAL  LIFE  SURVEY  OF  CLERMONT  COUNTY 


73 


No  data  were  collected  as  to  the  experience  of  the  ministers. 
Forty-eight  ministers  reported  as  to  educational  training  as  fol- 
lows: common  school  training,  ii;high  school,  6;  college,  7;  part 
college,  2;  one  year  seminary,  4;  two  year  seminary,  3;  seminary 
training,    14. 

It  is  significant  that  35  per  cent,  have  not  had  more  than  a 
high  school  training.  We  have  here  the  spectacle  of  a  group  of 
men  dealing  with  one  of  the  greatest  problems  confronting  any 
institution,  conscientious,  earnest,  but  handicapped  when  coming 
into  competition  with  those  in  charge  of  other  agencies  in  com- 
munity life.  The  solution  of  the  problem  is  fewer  plants  under 
the  direction  of  better  trained  men.  A  number  of  the  ministers 
are  doing  their  best  to  improve  themselves  by  taking  courses  at 
theological  seminaries,  but  the  demand  is  for  men  alread}'  trained 
and  experienced. 

The  length  of  service  in  the  community  has  a  relation  to 
efficiency  of  service.     The  distribution  of  service  is  as  follows: 


TABLE  XXXII 


No.  of  years  served 

In  present  parish 

In  preceding 

1  or  under ... 

2 

23 
II 

8 
I 
I 
2 
2 
2 
I 
3^ 

II 

5 
4 
2 

3    

4.    .  .    

2 

6 

7  .         

8 

Q    .       

10  or  more.  . 

Total 

53 

28 

1    One  has  served  13,  another  15  and  a  third  40  years  in  a  single  parish. 

Thirty-four  or  6i  per  cent,  have  been  in  the  present  parish  two 
years  or  less  while  1 6  or  57  per  cent,  have  been  in  the  previous 
parish  two  years  or  less.  The  average  length  of  service  is  3.6 
years.  Evidently  ministers  are  not  more  permanent  as  social 
leaders  than  are  the  teachers. 


74  MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 

Twelve  of  the  ministers  reported  other  occupations  in 
addition  to  their  ministry,  as  follows:  blacksmith,  i;  bookeeper,  i; 
carpenter,  i;  farmer,  2;  laboring  man,  i;  newspapermen,  3;  real 
estate  dealer,  i ;  student  of  law,  i ;  shoemaker,    i . 

The  ministers  who  reported  total  salaries  in  Clermont  County 
receive  incomes  comparable  to  those  paid  teachers  in  the  high 
schools  of  villages  but  less  than  those  received  b}^  principals  or 
superintendents.  Fourteen  ministers  having  parsonages  furnished 
rent  free  report  an  average  salary  of  $767.00,  while  seventeen 
ministers  who  were  paying  rent  out  of  their  salaries  were  receiv- 
ing an  average  salary  of  but  $595,00.  This  latter  salary,  which 
ma}^  be  considered  as  typical  of  the  country  districts  and  the 
smaller  villages,  does  not  offer  a  strong  inducement  to  men  who 
have  families  to  care  for  to  enter  the  ministry.  Men  w411  seriousl}" 
consider  whether  it  is  not  as  religious  to  undertake  work  that 
will  enable  them  to  give  their  wives  and  children  the  material 
comforts  available  to  the  families  of  other  men  of  similar  training 
in  other  lines  as  it  is  to  sacrifice  wife,  children,  and  self  on  the 
altar  of  community  welfare.  Reorganization  is  needed  to  give 
the  ministers  a  living  wage. 

The  decrease  in  total  church  membership  has  not  affected 
the  money  incomes  of  the  pastors.  Of  32  village  churches  re- 
porting, the  total  salaries  reported  increased  from  $11,962  ten 
years  ago  to  $12,838  five  years  ago  and  to  $14,993  ^t  the  time  of 
the  investigation.  Twenty-nine  country  churches  report  a  total 
decrease  in  expenditures  for  ministers'  salaries  from  $4355  in 
1908  to  $4245  in  191 3.  This  is  almost  a  negligible  quantity.  In 
neither  type  of  church,  however,  have  salaries  increased  com- 
mensurately  with  the  increased  cost  of  living  or  with  the  increas- 
ing demands  upon  the  ministers'  resources  due  to  a  rising 
standard  of  living  in  the  communities  in  which  they  w^ork. 

The  preceding  data  indicate  that  the  religious  spirit  is  de- 
clining in  many  communities.  Other  facts  demonstrate  that  the 
really  serious  problem  is  not  so  much  one  of  declining  religious 
and  moral  spirit  of  the  community,  as  one  of  the  decline  of  in- 
fluence of  the  church,  the  established  representative  of  this  spirit, 
giving  way  to  other  agencies  in  community  life. 


A  RURATv  LIFE  SURVEY  OF  CLERMONT  COUNTY  75 

Clermont  County  has  for  several  years  been  definitely  in  the 
ranks  of  those  opposed  to  the  liquor  traffic  and  at  the  last  elec- 
tion (1913) ,  under  the  leadership  of  representatives  of  the  church- 
es it  again  demonstrated  its  opposition  to  the  liquor  traffic  by  a 
higher  vote  than  at  the  preceding  election.  Increasing  knowl- 
edge of  social  conditions  and  needs  is  leading  gradually  to  a 
higher  standard  of  welfare.  The  church,  divided  as  it  is,  and 
poorly  adjusted  to  present  community  needs,  is  handicapped  in  its 
efforts  to  do  the  work  which  modern  leaders  recognize  as  falling 
within   its  province. 

SUMMARY  OF  RELIGIOUS  CONDITIONS 

The  most  impressive  phases  of  the  religious  situation  in 
Clermont  County  may  be  summarized  as  follows: 

1 .  A  general  decrease  in  church  membership  in  the  past 
ten  years,  especially  in  the  open  country. 

2.  This  decrease  in  the  open  country  is  more  rapid  than  the 
decrease  in  population. 

3.  A  fairly  constant  ratio  of  church  membership  to  pop- 
ulation in  villages. 

4.  A  disproportionate  share  of  the  membership  over  30 
years  of  age. 

5.  Persistence  of  sectarianism:  placing  of  church  above 
community  interests. 

6.  75  out  of  1 17  churches  for  which  data  were  obtained  had 
non-resident  pastors.  This  represented  over  two-thirds  of  the 
total  number.  Many  communities  in  which  several  churches 
are  located  have  no  resident  pastors. 

7.  An  itinerant  ministry  working  in  conditions  that  demand 
a  permanent  resident  pastor. 

8.  Lack  of  adequate  provision  for  utilization  of  social 
forces  as  agencies  of  religious  advance.  Prime  dependence  upon 
the  revival  as  an  agency  for  church  growth. 

Clermont  County  is  but  typical  of  the  general  situation. 
Will  the  church  leaders  take  advantage  of  the  golden  opportunity 
for  rural  and  village  reorganization  or  will  they  allow  this  function 


76  MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 

to  pass  to  the  educational  and  agricultural  organization  agencies 
of  the  community?  The  church  must  lose  its  life  in  community 
service  if  it  hopes  to  save  it  as  a  living  functioning  factor  in  rural 
social  adv^ance. 

RURAL     EDUCATION 

In  view  of  the  comprehensive  investigation  of  rural  schools 
under  way  by  the  commission  appointed  by  the  state  legislature, 
only  such  phases  of  the  situation  in  Clermont  County  as  were 
considered  of  local  interest  were  studied.  Conditions  in  this 
county  were  in  general  similar  to  conditions  found  in  other  rural 
counties.  The  one  room  school  in  the  open  country  is  still  the 
characteristic  feature  of  the  school  life.  Wages  in  the  township 
elementary  districts  average  according  to  the  report  of  the  state 
commissioner  of  education  $45 -oo  per  month.  Forty-one  counties 
paid  lower  wages  to  men  and  eighteen  paid  lower  wages  to 
women  than  did  Clermont  County.  Remarks  maj^  still  be  heard 
in  certain  parts  of  the  county  intimating  that  a  cash  consideration 
is  necessary  to  secure  a  school  but  no  evidence  is  available  to  this 
effect.  One  former  teacher  stated  that  in  his  experience  the 
suggestion  was  made  to  him  on  three  different  occasions  that  he 
pay  for  his   position. 

One  of  the  most  serious  problems  in  Clermont  Countv  is  the 
development  of  the  special  district.  In  one  township,  every 
subdistrict  but  one  has  been  transformed  into  a  special  with  the 
results  that  each  district  has  its  board  of  five  directors  to  elect 
the  teachers,  and  there  is  an  absolute  lack  of  any  coordination  of 
effort  in  the  different  parts  of  the  township.  Each  is  a  law  unto 
itself  in  matter  of  teachers'  qualification,  grading  schools, 
selecting  text-books,  and  in  other  matters  pertaining  to  the 
administration  of  the  school. 

Fifty-nine  schools  reported  average  daily  attendance  as 
follows: 


A  RURAL  LIFE  vSURVEY  OF  CLERMONT  COUNTY 
TABLE   XXXIII 


77 


Number    Pupils 

Number  Schools 

Under  5 

0 

5  to     9 

10  to   14  

15  to   19     

20  to  24 

25  or  over  

5 
17 
18 

8 
II 

Total. - 

59 

The  larger  number  of  schools  reporting  have  an  attendance 
of  between  10  and  19. 

Equipment  is  in  most  cases  inadequate.  Eleven  schools  out 
of  36  report  libraries,  3  of  these  having  100  books  each.  Most 
report  less  than  50  books.  Generally  the  books  are  of  fiction  or 
of  history.     Other  equipment  is  similarly  inadequate. 

Only  2  out  of  35  schools  reported  grounds  exceeding  one 
acre  in  size.  The  distribution  according  to  size  was  reported  as 
follows: 

TABLE  XXXIV 


Size 

Number  Reportijig 

One-fourths  acre 

One-half  acre 

ipVi^pp.fQiij-fVic  acre 

6 
8 
2 

Onf  flprp                                 

17 

ATnrp  than    one  acre                 

2 

'Lotal                   

35 

Fifty   per  cent,  of  the  grounds  were  one  acre  in  size. 

The  training  of  the  36  teachers  reporting  is  higher  than  in 
many  communities.  Twenty-two  out  of  the  36  reported  having 
had  high  school  training  and  13  some  normal  or  college  work. 
As  in  the  other  counties  studied,  however,  the  grades  of  certifi- 
cates granted  are  low.     For   the  year   ending  August  31,    191  ^ 


78 


MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 


Clermont  County  had  a  total  of  603  applications  for  license  to 
teach.  Of  these,  368  or  61  per  cent,  were  rejected.  Those 
passing  were  distributed  as  follows: 

TABLE  XXXV 
Certificates  Granted 


Per  Cent.i 

Years 

M. 

F. 

T. 

Per    Cent. 

For  State 

Kie^ht 

2  .0 

Five 

7 

5 

12 

4-9 

4-4 

Three 

I 

I 

0.4 

7  4 

Two 

57 

107 

164 

23-5 

26.2 

One 

14 

44 

58 

66.3 

58.4 

Temporary 

2 

10 

12 

4-9 

Total 

80 

167 

247 

100. 0 

98.4 

1.    Ohio  Rural  School  Summary  Report  p.  49 

Over  two-thirds  of  the  certificates  granted  are  for  one  year 
only  and  nearly  three-fourths  for  one  year  or  less.  These  figures 
include  those  teaching  in  the  villages  as  well  as  those  teaching  in 
the  open  country.  The  conclusion  as  to  the  educational  fitness 
of  the  teachers  as  indicated  by  the  results  of  examination  is 
obvious.  Data  were  obtained  as  to  the  number  of  j^ears  of  teach- 
ing experience  of  52  teachers,  with  results  as  follows: 


TABLE    XXXVI 


No.  Years  Experience 

Number 

Reporting 



15 
20 

Per    Cent. 
Clermont  Co. 

28.8 
38.5 
32.7 

Per    Cent. 
State 

Under  2 

2    to     5 

6    or  more 

27.6 

32.4 
40.0 

Total 

52 

100. 0 

100. 0 

The  teaching  profession  in  Clermont  County  is  evidently  in 
large  part  made  up  of  apprentices  who  need  the  oversight  and 
guidance  of  some  experienced  educational  leader. 


A  RURAL  LIFE  SURVEY  OF  CLERMONT  COUNTY 


79 


Clermont  County  also  has  an  itinerant  teaching  force,  as  is 
shown  by  the  data  as  to  the  number  of  years  in  their  present  and 
in  the  previous  position. 

TABLE  XXXVII 


No.   Years 

In  This  District 

In  Previous  District 

No. 

Per  Cent. 

No. 

Per  Cent. 

One 

Two .  . 

Three 

Four 

27 

10 

6 

6 

I 
I 

52.94 
19.60 
11.77 
11.77 
I  .96 
1 .96 

3 
II 

5 
3 
2 

12  0 
44  0 
20.0 
120 

Five 

More  than  five 

8.0 
4.0 

Total 

51 

100.00 

25 

100  00 

Over  three-fourths  of  the  teachers  had  been  in  their  previous 
positions  three  years  or  less.  Fifty-six  per  cent,  had  held  their 
previous  positions  two  years  or  less,  and  over  half  were  in  their 
first  3^ear.  Community  leadership  is  out  of  the  question  when 
teachers  are  constantly  changing  or  when  the  field  is  being 
constantly  recruited  from  new,  untried  material. 

Twenty-five  schools  reported  the  number  of  recitations  per 
day.  These  varied  from  18  to  44,  with  an  average  of  28.  The 
mode  was  30  recitations  per  day.  The  tendency  to  add  to  the 
courses  in  the  curriculum  without  eliminating  other  materials  is 
leading  directl}^  toward  the  breakdown  of  the  efficiency  of  the  coun- 
try school  system. 

The  school  building  is  used  comparatively  little  for  any  other 
purpose  than  the  holding  of  the  school  sessions,  as  a  voting  place, 
etc.  It  is  occasionally  used  for  literary  entertainments,  school 
board  meetings,  meetings  of  the  township  trustees,  and  at  rare 
intervals  for  Sunda)^  School,  prayer  meetings,  and  picture  shows. 
A  number  of  the  schools  report  special  entertainments  at  holiday 
periods  or  at  the  close  of  school. 

The  township  health  officer  of  Miami  Towmship  has  been 
doing  original  and  commendable  work   in  connection  wdth  the 


8o  MIAMI  UNIVERSITY 

rural  schools.  He  visits  each  school  annually,  takes  notes  as  to 
the  sanitary  conditions  of  the  wells  and  outbuildings  and  of  the 
school  building  and  makes  a  written  recommendation  to  the  board 
as  to  repairs  and  improvements  needed.  His  work  is  in  contrast  to 
that  of  many  similar  officials,  who  do  not  appear  to  know  what  to  do 
to  earn  the  money  allowed  them  for  the  office. 

LIBRARIES 

There  are  four  public  libraries  in  the  villages  of  the  county — 
Williamsburg,  Amelia,  Bethel,  and  Batavia.  Each  one  was  found- 
ed by  and  still  is  maintained  by  the  women's  clubs  of  the  above 
mentioned  villages.  Of  these  the  Batavia  library  is  the  largest. 
A  description  of  it  will  also  be  a  description  of  the  others. 

It  now  has  2000  volumes,  1 500  of  which  are  fiction,  the  others 
reference  books.  It  is  open  three  afternoons  and  evenings  a  week, 
winter  and  summer.  The  members  of  the  club  do  the  library 
work  gratis  by  turns.  It  is  situated  in  the  center  of  the  town 
and  patronized  by  practically  all  the  white  people  of  the  town 
and  by  the  high  school  pupils  who  come  from  the  country.  The 
colored  people  are  excluded  by  rule  of  the  club.  Thej^  also  have 
a  reading  table  with  20  of  the  best  current  magazines.  These 
also  circulate  after  the  first  month. 

There  are  two  methods  of  lending  books:  First,  the  card 
system.  Any  white  person  on  payment  of  50  cents  is  given  a 
card  which  entitles  the  holder  to  one  book  a  week  for  the  year, 
with  privilege  of  one  renewal  after  having  book  for  two  weeks. 
Second,  a  system  by  which  two  cents  is  paid  for  a  book  for  one 
week,  with  a  fine  of  one  cent  a  day  on  a  book  kept  over  time. 

The  expenses  for  last  year  were:  for  room  rent,  $120;  for 
fuel,  $10;  for  lights,  $12. 

The  library  has  been  built  up  and  maintained  by  donation 
of  books  by  members,  friends,  and  people  moving  out  of 
town;  subscription;  socials,  rummage  sales,  candy  sales,  and  box 
socials;  fines  and  fees;  home  talent  entertainments;  and  lecture 
courses. 

The  Williamsburg  library,  founded  in  1901,  has  now  928 
volumes.     An    average    of    62    books  per  week  were  taken  the 


A  RURAL  LIFE  SURVEY  OF  CLERMONT  COUNTY  8i 

last    year.     During  its  existence  only  2  books   have   been  lost. 

Amelia  has  750  volumes  in  its  library  and  Bethel  has  a 
library  of  800  volumes.  Each  one  of  these  gets  its  share  of 
books  from  the  State  lyibrary  each  year. 

The  rural  schools  of  Clermont  County  present  the  same  needs 
of  readjustment  that  are  to  be  found  in  most  other  counties  of  the 
state  where  the  one  room  district  school  still  persists.  Lack  of 
adequate  buildings  and  grounds;  insufficient  equipment;  low 
salaried,  temporary,  shifting,  untrained  apprentice  teachers; 
crowding  of  curriculum;  small  attendance  and  small  classes  insuffi- 
cient to  arouse  school  spirit;  general  lack  of  supervision  and 
coordination  of  one  school  with  another;  a  low  ebb  of  community 
life  centering  around  the  school;  and  a  lack  of  educational  leader- 
ship are  the  principal  difficulties  demanding  solution. 

As  interest  in  problems  of  education  is  aroused,  and  as 
the  possibilities  of  improvement  are  recognized,  we  may  look  for. 
ward  to  an  era  of  progress  unparalleled  in  the  history  of  educa- 
tion, not  only  in  Clermont  County  but  in  the  State  of  Ohio. 

CONCLUvSION 

In  a  characterization  of  the  rural  life  in  Clermont  County  as 
a  whole,  the  following  conditions  should  be  noted: 

1.  Increasing  homogeneity  of  the  population  except  in  one 
or  two  sections  of  the  county.  The  proportion  of  foreign-born 
population  has  decreased  from  4.2  to  3.6  per  cent.,  and  of  negroes 
from  3.7  to  2.9  per  cent. 

2.  Marked  decrease  in  total  population  during  the  past 
thirty  years  affecting  the  rural  districts  and  the  villages  bordering 
the  Ohio  River.  This  decrease  has  amounted  to  over  7000  in 
thirty  years. 

3.  Notable  lack  of  farmers'   organizations  in  the    county. 

4.  Tendency  of  topography  of  county  and  of  railway  con- 
nections to  prevent  social  unity  in  the  county.  Relations  appear 
to  be  divided  into  three  groups,  each  of  which  has  closer  relations 
with  Cincinnati  than  with  each  other, 

R  S  [6] 


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MIAMI    UNIVERSITY 


5.  Recent  tendencies  to  develop  agriculture  along  lines 
adapted  to  natural  conditions  and  to  proximity  to  a  large  market. 

6.  Lack  of  rural  leadership  and  dependence  on  Cincinnati 
and  villages  for  amusement. 

7.  Church  life  out  of  adjustment  to  community  needs. 

8.  Good  moral  tone  indicated  by  decisive  attitude  toward 
the  saloon. 

9.  There  is  need, however, of  constructive  provision  for  re- 
creation in  both  rural  and  village  communities  as  indicated  by  the 
effect  of  the  city  upon  the  life  of  the  young  people  in  the  countr}^ 
shown  in  the  study  of  rural  morality. 

10.  The  need  of  trained  leadership  for  the  communit}^  at 
large  in  agricultural,  religious,  educational,  a!id  social  affairs. 

Clermont  County,  as  is  the  case  with  m.any  other  communi- 
ties in  the  state,  has  also  made  many  advances  and  should  in  the 
next  few  years  make  further  progress  in  agricultural  production 
and  social  reconstruction  that  will  bring  great  credit  not  only  to 
itself  but  to  all  southwestern  Ohio. 


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